News
Getting a diploma in Idaho may hinge on new test
Critics: Plan may make graduating difficult for some
Idaho students may soon have to pass a “high stakes” test or they will
not be allowed to graduate from high school, according to a plan
being considered by the State Board of Education.
Herbert Atienza
The Idaho Statesman
“I think we´ve been dishonest in the past,” said State Board member
Karen McGee, who is the chairwoman of the state´s assessment and
accountability commission. “When parents see their children with a
diploma, they think that they have learned what they needed to learn
from school.
“I no longer want parents to think that way unless it´s the truth.”
The proposal was unveiled at a statewide public hearing Thursday in Boise. About two dozen
people attended the Boise session.
The video conference was called by the state Assessment and Accountability Commission,
which was formed by the State Board more than a year ago to come up with
recommendations to help the state meet education standards that have been adopted by the
Legislature.
By requiring students to pass a standardized test — called the Idaho Standards Achievement
Test, or ISAT — to get a diploma, the state is moving away from earlier plans to issue three
types of diplomas reflecting how well students are meeting statewide standards for reading,
language and math.
“I think we need to have a way to assure parents that their students are getting a basic
education, and this is a way to do that,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Marilyn
Howard said.
All high school students could be taking the ISAT by 2005, with special accommodations
planned for students with special needs, such as interpreters or flexible test formats.
Right now, all that´s typically required from graduating students to receive a diploma is to
have the required number of credits, to have an acceptable attendance, and to have a C
average in core subjects.
“This is pretty scary for a lot of people,” said Boise State University professor Phil Kelly, a
member of the state´s accountability commission. “But if anything, I see this plan forcing
schools, parents and students to look at the data … and demand that the students be better
served.”
The proposal is another stab by the panel to put teeth to the state´s education standards,
and to influence what students learn in Idaho schools. But it comes with concerns. Some say
the requirement to tie passing a test to a diploma puts some students at a disadvantage and
could increase the state´s drop-out rate if students fail to pass it.
“All students can´t be assessed in the same way,” said Julie Van Orden, president of the
Idaho Parent Teacher Association. “You have students that have learned well but are not
good test-takers.”
She said awarding a diploma should not be based on a single type of test, but on a variety of
assessments.
“Idaho´s most vulnerable children will be penalized the most — minority students, English
language learners, students from low socio-economic backgrounds, disabled students,” said
Kathy Phelan, president of the Idaho Education Association. She said not enough research
has been done on the test for the state to pin so much on it.
But McGee said people should not worry about the ISAT´s fairness because it only assesses
“the minimum you need to know to pass high school.” She said students have multiple
chances throughout high school to pass the test.
About 16,000 ninth-graders from throughout Idaho took the pilot version of the ISAT last
spring.
The test is expected to take the place of a three-tiered diploma system earlier considered by
the commission. Under that plan, students who meet local district graduation requirements,
but not the state standards, would receive a general diploma. Students who meet or exceed
the state´s standards would receive one of two types of “seals of distinction.”
McGee said the commission decided to move away from that plan after hearing from the
public, including representatives from the Hispanic community, about their opposition to the
three-tiered diploma system.
Hector de Leon, president of the Council on Hispanic Education in Caldwell, said his group
opposes the three-tiered diploma system because he fears that many Hispanic students
would be receiving the lower-tiered diploma because of the historically large gap in
educational attainment between mainstream and minority students.
But the group also opposes giving “high stakes” tests — such as the ISAT, which carries the
threat of not graduating — unless resources are made available to schools so low-performing
students can catch up, he said.
“If the schools are going to be made accountable, then they must get the resources they
need,” he said.
Caldwell Superintendent Richard Miller echoed these sentiments.
“The question comes when you ask for funds to make it happen,” Miller said.
With recent cutbacks, he said, most school districts are not in the position to hire more staff
or pay for more programs to help struggling students.
To offer story ideas or comments, contact Herbert Atienza
[email protected] or 377-6413
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