Superintendents Toolkit 2013

ISAT Cut Scores

Background:

The Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT) were implemented in 1999, essentially replacing the Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) tests. The ISAT has undergone changes since 1999, evolving into the current form that tests third- through eighth-graders in math, reading and science. Based on their scores, students fall into one of four categories: Exceeds Standards, Meets Standards, Below Standards, and Academic Warning. Historically, Illinois students have fared very well on the ISAT, especially when compared to the scores for 11 th -graders on the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). The ISAT is expected to be replaced in a couple of years by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) voted in January of 2013 to adopt a new grading scale for the ISAT tests in an attempt to try and align those results with the results of the PSAE, as well as to try and align the test with the new Common Core Standards. The net result of these changes will be an expected substantial drop in the percentage of students that attain at least the Meets Standards ranking. In fact, by taking the 2012 scores and applying the new grading scale, the statewide percentage of students achieving at least the Meets Standards would have fallen from 89 in math and 79 in reading to 60 percent in both subjects. School districts will need to inform parents, citizens and the media about the changes in the ISAT cut scores in order to alleviate the backlash and questions that are likely to come when the interactive report cards come out in the fall of 2013 containing the results of this spring’s tests based on the new grading scale. Issue:

Resources:

Talking points:

ISBE raises testing standards (State Journal-Register/Jan. 24, 2013) ISBE press release regarding increase in ISAT cut scores (Jan. 24, 2013) IASA template for letter to parents or letter to the editor

1. The percentage of students meeting the standards for the ISAT is not reflective of a drop in performance; it is because ISBE raised the grading scale in an attempt to align the scores with results from the test that is given to 11 th -graders. 2. In fact, the actual ISAT test scores for our students were (the same/better) than last year. It is the equivalent of a teacher raising the scale to get an “A” from 90-100 to 94-100. 3. Like any standardized test, the ISAT is a snapshot in time and just a single indicator regarding student performance. We will study these results and use them to help inform us about aligning our curriculum with the new federal and state standards in a ways that are beneficial for our students. 4. The timing of implementing a change in the cut scores and other changes to the ISAT when a new test (PARCC) is coming in 2014 doesn’t seem to make any sense.

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Facts about ISAT (ISBE)

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