New York Education Officials Say State Tests Have Become Easier In Past Four Years. The New York Times (7/20, A18, Medina) reports that education officials in New York say that the state’s standardized tests have “become easier to pass over the last four years.” They plan to “recalibrate the scoring for tests taken this spring.” Researchers from Harvard analyzed the scores and compared “them with results on national exams and” high school graduation exams. They found that students who passed the state exams had less than 50 percent chance of passing the graduation exams. They also found that “the New York state exams have become even easier in comparison with the national exams.” In 2007, for instance, “students who received the minimum score to pass the state math tests…were in the 36th percentile of all students nationally, but in 2009 they had dropped to the 19th percentile.”

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In the Classroom
New Calculation Shows Improving Graduation Rate In Maine. The Kennebec (ME) Journal (7/20, Stone) reports, “Newly released data” from the Maine DOE show that the state’s “high school graduation rate dipped” by about three percentage points “between the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years.” But, “the 2007-08 rate was calculated using a formula that takes into account those who took more than four years to graduate but still received conventional diplomas.” The newer formula used to calculate the 2008-09 graduation rate, however, “highlights only the percentage of students who graduated in four years or fewer, or who completed their coursework during a summer session after their fourth year.” School officials say that because of the difference in calculation, “it’s unclear whether fewer students are graduating.”

Critics Say Texas’ Dropout Data Is Inaccurate.

Leaders Of Five Florida Districts Cast Doubt On Accuracy Of State Test Results. The St. Petersburg Times (7/13, Stein) reports that “the superintendents of Hillsborough County [Florida] and four other large school districts said Monday they have doubts about the accuracy of this year’s FCAT results and want a state investigation.” Their main concern is “a sharp drop in the number of students making learning gains, especially on the reading test” and at the elementary level. Even though Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith “said Monday afternoon that he stood by the results,” he still “has asked another examiner to look at the” districts’ concerns. Hillsborough superintendent MaryEllen Elia has “called for the state to hold off on releasing school grades” until the issue is resolved.

The Miami Herald (7/12, McGrory, Tepoff) reported that Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said on Monday that “if the scores stand as they are, dozens of high-performing South Florida elementary schools will likely see their letter grade drop.” The Herald adds that “if there are errors in the FCAT data, the consequences could be serious,” because “school grades determine if a school receives money from the state or federal government, and if students can transfer out.”

The Tampa Tribune (7/13, Ackerman) notes, “FCAT scores were late this year because of computer glitches with NCS Pearson, a testing contractor hired by the state. The company and Smith assured school districts that the scores, while late, would be accurate.”

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Read-i-cide, n.

Gates Foundation Playing Key Role In Education Reform Movement. The Washington Post (7/12, A1, Anderson) reports on its front page, “Across the country, public education is in the midst of a quiet revolution” as states “are embracing voluntary national standards for English and math, while schools are paying teachers based on student performance. It’s an agenda propelled in part by a flood of money from a billionaire prep-school graduate best known for his software empire: Bill Gates.” According to the Post, “It is unclear whether philanthropy…can find large-scale solutions to problems that have beset schools for generations” yet “what is certain is that Gates grants have become a leading currency for a particular kind of education reform” that has “won praise from the Obama administration and others, while prompting questions from some about the foundation’s pervasive presence and its emphasis on performance measures.”

Gates Hears Cheers, Jeers At Teachers Convention. The Seattle Times (7/11, Thompson) reported that “Rowdy delegates to a national teachers convention Saturday gave several standing ovations to Bill Gates, whose billions in foundation grants for experimental-education-overhaul efforts over more than a decade have sparked widespread controversy and debate.” But some attendees booed the Microsoft founder, while others walked out on his speech “and led chants afterward of ‘Hey, hey, ho, ho, Bill Gates has got to go.’” The Seattle Times points out that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “has led efforts to improve education, including charter schools, which while public are largely nonunion and run by autonomous management organizations.” Gates has also supported “linking teacher pay to classroom performance.” In his speech, Gates said that “his foundation is working with teachers to develop a teacher-evaluation system that is fair and will help teachers improve.”

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