02/23/2007: "How To Test HS Kids In Math & Science"

What is the first thing that Rep. Dave Quall, chair of the House Education Committee, says we need to remember during a legislative session when so-called "math wars" and WASL debates are front and center? We need to understand that "Not all tests are created equal, and not all kids are equally good at taking tests".

"We know our high school kids aren't performing well on the math portion of the WASL," commented Quall. "But in trying to address the problem, we have to look at three separate issues: how we teach math, what kinds of standards we're setting, and how we're testing our kids. If we don't talk about the test itself, we're never going to come a resolution on the issue."

Quall's committee held a work session today to look at House Bill 2327 which proposes other ways of testing students to see how they're coming along in math. Teachers and administrators from around the state joined in the work session to discuss a specific approach known as "end-of-course" assessments.

"End-of-course" exams are completed at the end of each course and only on the content taught in the class. Quall says there are two major benefits to this kind of exam.

First, the test materials and class content are better aligned. Once a student finishes algebra, they're tested on algebra. If they pass, they can go on to geometry, where they'll be tested at the end of the class on geometry. This is different than the WASL exam which tests students on a broad range of math concepts at one time.

Second, the student completes the test right after finishing the class. Many people think of math as a "use it or lose it" subject and it can be difficult to remember how to do certain kinds of math problems if you haven't done it for several months.

Other states such as Maryland have used these exams to effectively test kids more regularly, and Quall is hopeful that parents and teachers will be receptive to considering how Washington could make good use of such an exam.

HB 2327 would do several things to address the issues of how we teach kids, what standards we set, and how we test kids. The bill calls for a menu of math and science curricula and calls for the "end-of-course" exams in math and science to take the place of the high school WASL.

The teachers and administrators who participated in today's work session were generally supportive of the approach.

Information on House Bill 2327 can be found here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2327&year=2007