Photo by the author.

Like many standardized tests, the DC Comprehensive Assessment System isn’t the magic bullet many had hoped it would be. But by understanding what its limits are, we can turn the DC CAS from a weapon against teachers into a tool to help students.

Any mention of standardized testing produces a range of reactions, from praising the accountability it provides to those who decry its use as a way to weed out “bad” teachers. But the CAS can, and should, do much more than just evaluate teachers. DC needs to use the results to help students.

Mandated in 2002 by No Child Left Behind, the DC CAS‘s original intent was to help identify students in DC Public Schools needing additional assistance. Students in grades 2 through 10 take the test in reading; 3 through 8 and 10 in math; 5 and 8 in science; and 4, 7 and 10 in writing.

Students are slotted into one of four categories based on their scores in each subject: below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. Those in the proficient and advanced categories are considered to have mastered grade level material.

From 2007 to 2012, the percentage of both public and charter school students scoring in the proficient and advanced categories jumped by 18.4% in math and 9.5% in reading. While gains are certainly worth celebrating, this still means that only 49.5% of students in math and 45.6% of students in reading have mastered grade level material.

With less than half of students mastering grade level material, DC’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) should jump at the opportunity to get more from their standardized testing. They can, but only if they do it right.

Photo by the author.

Lack of continuity hurts DC CAS

It’s hard to find out what’s being done to help students who score in the basic or below basic categories. For the 2012-2013 school year, DCPS gave $10 million in Proving What’s Possible (PWP) grants to help schools improve DC CAS test scores.

Schools submitted their ideas for how to do so, ranging from lengthening the school day and providing summer school to investing in math and reading programs. Larger schools or those with students who need to make significant gains could apply for grants between $250,000 and $400,000, while other schools could apply for grants between $50,000 and $100,000 for more targeted interventions.

One problem, however, is the program’s lack of continuity. 15% of the money from the PWP grants went to 8 schools that will close this spring: Marshall, Davis, Winston, Ferebee-Hope and M.C. Terrell/McGogney elementary schools, MacFarland Middle School, Spingarn High School and Prospect Learning Center. These schools are closing before their new programs will even have a chance to work, preventing them from being used as examples for other schools in need.

While it’s likely some of the materials purchased can be reused, Students at these schools will barely have an opportunity to learn how the new programs work before they are shuttered to other schools. The first year or two of a new program can be a steep learning curve while hiccups are worked out and procedures are streamlined.

Tests don’t tell the whole story

Many people incorrectly assume that a good test will measure all that a student knows. In reality, it’s just a snapshot in time used to estimate a student’s knowledge. As a result, small differences are less meaningful than large or repeated differences. Standardized testing also cannot measure the intangible qualities of teaching such as student engagement, preparation for class, and the personal relationships between the students and teachers.

As it’s currently set up, the DC CAS isn’t being used to understand individual students, but to unfairly categorize entire schools with broad brushstrokes.

Both the math and reading results of the DC CAS are subdivided into categories. Depending on the grade, math tests have four or five subcategories. Based on how many students score low on certain areas, this could be an easy way to identify whether teaching should be improved or whether specific students are struggling. If most students test low in fractions, a change in teaching style is necessary, but if just a few scores are low, those students may just need additional attention.

For reading, the subcategories are not quite as distinct as for math, but are still more helpful than simply being told a student needs help with “reading.” The test writer, McGraw Hill, could possibly provide more detail what specific skills are being tested, which would help to further identify specific areas for improvement. I believe my fifth-grader took 7 or 8 tests for the DC CAS this year, so it seems likely that more specific analysis could be provided.

With the new IMPACT in-class teacher assessments, DCPS is wisely distancing itself from teacher evaluation based solely or mostly on standardized testing, though they are still a factor. Other area school districts are shying away from standardized testing altogether. Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, has even called for a three-year moratorium on standardized testing.

With another testing season in DC coming to a close, the opportunity to really delve into the results is upon us. The possibility to provide more targeted and specific assistance to DC students should not go to waste.

Jessica Christy has two children learning Chinese at Washington Yu Ying, where she is also the president of the Parent Association. For work, she does industrial hygiene consulting and stays at home with her two-year-old. In her free time (ha!), Jessica enjoys needlepoint and DIY home improvement. All opinions stated here are her own.