ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 6, 1997 TAG: 9702060016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
Beginning this spring, children across the state will be taking new tests to measure how much they are learning and how much they know already.
Tuesday night, the Montgomery County School Board approved its own version of the new testing plan. It added two more grade levels that will be tested above the four grades required by the state, plus another test not required.
Even though the state covers much of the cost for testing, county schools will still be paying an additional $19,000 per year for the more expensive tests.
The state is changing the achievement and ability tests for two reasons: to replace tests that had been used since 1985, and to test the new Standards of Learning implemented by Gov. George Allen.
Tonight, Shelly Loving-Ryder, from the Virginia Department of Education, and Virginia Tech professor Lawrence Cross will join Montgomery County school administrators in a forum about the changes. It will begin at 7 p.m. at the Christiansburg headquarters of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, located at 125 Sheltman St., beside Christiansburg Middle School.
The following is an overview of the new tests:
Stanford 9
* A norm-referenced test, meaning Montgomery County scores will be compared with ones from across the country compiled in 1995.
* Replaces the Iowa Test of Basic Standards, which compared students with scores compiled in 1985.
* Will take about half the time it took pupils to take the Iowa Test.
* Is required by the state in the third, fifth, eighth and 11th grades. Testing will begin this spring.
* Also will be used in Montgomery County to evaluate progress in seventh- and 10th-graders, beginning next fall.
* Will be used in Montgomery County to test math, reading, language, social studies and science knowledge. Score breakdowns in areas such as capitalization, punctation and spelling will not be available.
Otis-Lennon Ability Test
* Correlates with the Stanford 9 and tests the innate ability of a student to accomplish school-related tasks.
* Replaces the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and will be given to pupils beginning this spring.
* Is required by the state in grades three, five, eight and 11, and will also be given to seventh- and 10th-graders beginning next fall.
Standards of Learning Test
* Is mandated by the state to test how well students are grasping the concepts required by the new Standards of Learning.
* Will be given to grades three, five, eight and 11, beginning in spring 1998. This spring, pupils will take a pilot form of the test.
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