THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300349
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY YOUNG, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 74 lines
City public school students will take which of the following standardized tests this year?
A. The Literacy Passport Test
B. The Iowa Test
C. Stanford 9 Achievement Test
D. Both A and C
In light of the school district's decision to switch from the Iowa Test to the Stanford 9 Test, D is correct. While both tests are designed to compare Chesapeake students to those across the nation, the Stanford 9 Test is considered to be more up-to-date both in the content and nature of the questions.
Also on the horizon are tests designed to correspond with the Standards of Learning, curriculum standards the state established in 1995.
The School Board heard a presentation this week on changes in the standardized testing the district will implement this year. It also learned of possible curriculum conflicts with the state standards - although this school year the tests will just be given a trial run and won't officially count.
``The S.O.L's are based on course requirements that many of our students will not have had by the time they take the test,'' said Linda D. Palombo, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Palombo said that if the tests are implemented officially in the 1997-98 school year and the state decides to make them a graduation requirement it could mean trouble for students who haven't taken all the required courses. For example, Chesapeake requires that students take either algebra or geometry in order to graduate - not both - but the Standards of Learning tests will test both regardless.
What that means, Palombo said, is that the district will need to look at ways to more closely align the district's curriculum requirements with the state's standards - although even if they made the changes now it wouldn't be quick enough for some students already in the system who have been working under the old rules.
``It's impossible, even if we changed everything today,'' Palombo told the board Monday. She said Chesapeake isn't alone in that many school districts are lobbying the state to delay official implementation of the tests until those conflicts can be worked out.
``The whole point is that they want to get everything on the same page,'' said Tom Cupitt, the district's ombudsman.
The Standards of Learning also had an influence over why the Iowa Tests were scrapped in favor of the Stanford 9 tests.
``They're a better match than those we have seen in the past, but bear in mind that it's not a perfect match,'' said Lisa Meyers, the district's supervisor of instruction and assessment.
Meyers said the Stanford 9 was also chosen because it is a more up-to-date test than the Iowa Test and contained questions designed to test how well students can apply their knowledge. The tests also take less time to administer and are more rigorous, she said.
What the changes may mean initially, said Meyers, is that students may have lower scores in the first year of the test as they adjust to the different format. She cautioned against parents comparing the Stanford 9 test scores with the Iowa Test results they have received in past years.
``The real comparison will come next year, when we can compare scores on the same tests,'' Palombo told the board Monday. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Test Schedule
Standardized Test Schedule for Chesapeake
Literacy Passport Test: Grades 6-12 in reading, writing and math,
Feb. 3-20.
Literacy Passport Test: Grade 4 Predictor Test in reading and
writing, March 17-21.
Stanford 9 Achievement Tests: Grades 3, 5, 8 and 11, in reading,
language and mathematics, April 1-25.
Standards of Learning Tests: Grades 3, 5, 8 and 11, field
testing, April 28-May 2.
KEYWORDS: STANDARDIZED TEST CHESAPEAKE SCHOOLS