by Paul Clopton
Thanks are due the Register for your reasonably balanced report on the new state mathematics test ["Fullerton scores reveal, uh ... what?" Metro, June 3]. The new tests are important if California is ever to recover from the low mathematics achievement we now see in our schools. In the early 1990s, California was busy promoting "fun math" and "feel good math." Calculators, blocks, color pictures, group learning projects and playful activities were the rage, but the important content of mathematics got ignored and suffered immeasurably. The citizens of California became discouraged by poor mathematics achievement levels that were falling at an increasing rate. The United States lags behind other advanced countries in mathematics achievement, and California now lags behind virtually all other states.
The situation was so bad that our Legislature reacted, demanding new, academically rigorous standards of learning and new tests to match. We are experiencing the first results of the new laws. This year's STAR math tests are called "augmented" because they now contain items based on the new California standards. The standards target goals equal to the achievement in the most successful countries, like Singapore and Japan. The expectations are clearly beyond current achievement levels in California.
Scores will be low, but this is actually good news for California.
Some professional educator groups would rather see tests that are so easy that it makes our students look good. This wouldn't help solve our real problems. Wisely, the law requires the tests to target higher achievement. We know that driving up student achievement requires standards, tests, textbooks and teacher professional development that are aligned and united in setting higher sights.
We have the new standards. The American Federation of Teachers gave high marks to the California standards, and the independent Fordham Foundation rated the new math standards as better than standards in any other state.
The augmented STAR exams contain items specifically tied to the state standards. By contrast, other large-scale tests, including the Stanford 9 part of the STAR, aim squarely at current achievement levels. A recent AFT study showed just how low the expectations are on these tests. They would not help to make the tremendous gains we need. Only the augmented STAR scores will give us a way to measure growth as we strive to move up to world-class performance.
We don't yet have the new textbooks, but we will soon. Publishers have scrambled to submit materials that are as close as possible to the new state standards. The state will make final selections this month, and a huge pot of money is earmarked for districts to purchase new books as an emergency measure. Meanwhile, publishers know that they must come up with even better materials for the next regular state adoption.
We also don't have training for our teachers yet. However, when the new materials arrive, districts can work on new professional development programs tied both to the standards and to the new materials. There are many dedicated classroom teachers ready to lead the way.
There is nothing strange about the new augmented tests. They are just math tests. There is no calculus required, just what can be expected in ordinary classrooms teaching to the level of the standards. Anyone can find out exactly what the tests are about by just reading the standards (See http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/documents/math-stnd.pdf).
Importantly, this first year of augmented tests is only a baseline. There are no consequences for students, nor should there be. Instead, we must interpret these scores as a measure of how far our education system must move to bring our students up to a position of excellence. We will hear how unfair these exams are to the children. In fact, the only real consequences are felt by school systems and educator groups that are sensitive to public pressure. We know that public scrutiny can provide the pressure needed to bring about real change in our schools, as long as the public can see the score reports in their newspapers.
We have a long way to go and the augmented STAR scores will soon make that glaringly clear. We may not like what we see, but we have to accept the bitter truth if we are going to improve. Some will get angry at the messenger, but we would be wiser to heed the message. In fact, it may be our only hope if we are ever to restore California's place as a world leader in education.
Copyright 1999 The Orange County Register