2010 DC CAS Scores Online

[Anonymous]

Don't know if it's been addressed on this board yet, but it seems clear that much of the district-wide drop in elementary scores might be attributable to the fact that this year's DC-CAS was a fundamentally different assessment than last year's model.

When one sees -- within one small cohort of the very same 25 kids -- a drop off of 20 percentage points year over year, you know you're looking at something more than kids getting dumber or this year's teacher being 20% lousier than last year's teacher. Some of the DC-CAS results I'm seeing suggest that many students have actually regressed. I know that's not the case. Change the measure with a new assessment instrument and it's guaranteed that you will change the results.

Watch: If DCPS continues with current DC-CAS next year, the results will rise again. (A cynic would also predict that this will be portrayed as a systemic validation of the Rhee approach.)

[Anonymous]

Well, that's one assumption, that there was a different tool.

A cynic might also point to the test security issues and the accusations of cheating at certain schools. Deborah Gist, head of OSSE at the time, called for an internal investigation, which Rhee declined to perform. Even the test company noted, through an erasure analysis that there were irregularities at many schools with significant gains on the scores. Again, Michelle Rhee chose not to pursue an investigation.

At schools that had big jumps on test scores in the past, security was much tighter. And surprise, surprise test scores plummeted.

But you would only be a cynic if you thought that certain schools were "erasing to the top." Right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...When one sees -- within one small cohort of the very same 25 kids -- a drop off of 20 percentage points year over year, you know you're looking at something more than kids getting dumber or this year's teacher being 20% lousier than last year's teacher.... Change the measure with a new assessment instrument and it's guaranteed that you will change the results.

But the drop District-wide was only 3-4%, not 20%. So, yeah, this year's teacher probably was 15+% lousier than last year's teacher. (Or last year's scores were "erased to the top.")

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't know if it's been addressed on this board yet, but it seems clear that much of the district-wide drop in elementary scores might be attributable to the fact that this year's DC-CAS was a fundamentally different assessment than last year's model.

Says who? And if that were true, then the IVA scores used to determine 50% of my IMPACT Evaluation would be even less valid than they seem.

[mm72873]

In all this analyzing of scores have we stopped to think about other aspects of a school that work?? As a parent I care somewhat about these scores. What worries me is over reliance on these scores and ignoring both (1) what they add up to in the end and what needs to be happening in school in order for them to "succeed in these tests".

1. think, lets say your child gets 100% proficiency in the end...what does that trasnlate to in terms of what they will be when they grow up, or their wages, or level of happiness. Nothing. On the other hand, if they have an amazing innovative, creative and inspiring teacher, it might be life-changing. (2) All this focus on test scores, test scores, test scores only help to strip the teachers of their ability to truly inspire. They are under such pressure to get the score that "teaching to the test" is the only option. This means, boring, drab, disconnected learning for your child.

Perhaps as parents we need to rely more on our own intuition on whether the school is bad or not....does the child enjoy learning? does your family feel welcomed at the school? are the kids able to interact in a mature manner? Does your child come home talking about what they have learned and want to do more? Test scores are not the end-all-be-all of a school......you might have a 10 school and get shitty teacher, or have a 1 school and have a life-changing teacher who will inspire your child to become the best he can be.

our kids are not numbers and like in the matrx, we need to disconnect from this love of numbers and start dealing with rating schools in a more comprehensive manner that will allow them to bring back those life-changing and inspiring teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...When one sees -- within one small cohort of the very same 25 kids -- a drop off of 20 percentage points year over year, you know you're looking at something more than kids getting dumber or this year's teacher being 20% lousier than last year's teacher.... Change the measure with a new assessment instrument and it's guaranteed that you will change the results.

But the drop District-wide was only 3-4%, not 20%. So, yeah, this year's teacher probably was 15+% lousier than last year's teacher. (Or last year's scores were "erased to the top.")

Or the scores lack both validity and reliability and simply fluctuate from year to year

[Anonymous]

mm72873 wrote:In all this analyzing of scores have we stopped to think about other aspects of a school that work?? As a parent I care somewhat about these scores. What worries me is over reliance on these scores and ignoring both (1) what they add up to in the end and what needs to be happening in school in order for them to "succeed in these tests".

1. think, lets say your child gets 100% proficiency in the end...what does that trasnlate to in terms of what they will be when they grow up, or their wages, or level of happiness. Nothing. On the other hand, if they have an amazing innovative, creative and inspiring teacher, it might be life-changing. (2) All this focus on test scores, test scores, test scores only help to strip the teachers of their ability to truly inspire. They are under such pressure to get the score that "teaching to the test" is the only option. This means, boring, drab, disconnected learning for your child.

Perhaps as parents we need to rely more on our own intuition on whether the school is bad or not....does the child enjoy learning? does your family feel welcomed at the school? are the kids able to interact in a mature manner? Does your child come home talking about what they have learned and want to do more? Test scores are not the end-all-be-all of a school......you might have a 10 school and get shitty teacher, or have a 1 school and have a life-changing teacher who will inspire your child to become the best he can be.

our kids are not numbers and like in the matrx, we need to disconnect from this love of numbers and start dealing with rating schools in a more comprehensive manner that will allow them to bring back those life-changing and inspiring teachers.

I agree! Thanks for posting this.

[Anonymous]

Well said.