New ABC achievement levels approved!

The State Board of Education met via a conference call Thursday, October 12, 2006, to vote on the interim math achievement levels for grades 3-8 and the NCEXTEND2 in grades 3-8. The reason for the meeting prior to November is so the SBE will be able to approve the ABC Report Card for Grades 3-8 on November 2^nd.

The SBE voted on using a different benchmark setting that will align our state assessments with the NAEP assessment standards. The new benchmark standard setting is called “Reasoned Judgment” and is used by NAEP. Reasoned Judgment is a technique described as the most straight-forward manner to set standards. This technique requires an appropriate group to examine the score scales and to divide the full range of possible scores into the number of desired categories. For example, a 32-point scale might be divided into four categories of approximately equal number of points (or different numbers of point in each of the categories), as the expert group sees fit. The advantage of this strategy is that it provides clarity in the standard setting process.

This new achievement standard will not impact a school’s ABC growth goals. The school’s ABC growth goals equating to making bonus money by meeting or exceeding the goal will not be impacted with this change because the ABC status is based on a growth formula. What will be impacted is the AYP goals.

Currently, North Carolina has the largest discrepancy of students being proficient with the national standards and state assessment standards. This new state achievement benchmark will align more with the national standards.

Under current standards in NC, 90% of the students in grades 3-8 are proficient (Level III or IV). Under the new Reasoned Judgment standard, approximately 66% of the students in grades 3-8 will be proficient. The impact under the AYP guidelines: under the old assessment achievement standards, 81% of the students met AYP; and under the new achievement standard around, 65% will meet AYP. Under the new higher standard it will take large “steps” to have all students proficient by 2012.

Schools, educators, parents/guardians and students will have to work harder to reach the new achievement level. There will be a need for more students to have PEPs (Personalized Education Plans). NCAE members, make sure that students who are placed on PEPs that they are not like an IEP, and that the student has a teacher advocate helping them to meet their goals.

The charts with the new scores can be found at this link; http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings/0610/conferencecall/0610cchsp1.pdf