An overall drop in school standardized test scores this year has Missouri education officials investigating multiple explanations for the decline.
The difficulty of tests, the high number of snow days this year as well as the impact of a transition to new national standards aligned with the Common Core all have been considered, according to a memo obtained by the Post-Dispatch on Friday.
Specifically, the memo to district administrators from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education notes an overall decline in scores 鈥減articularly in English language arts and mathematics grades 3 and 4.鈥
鈥淲e have been searching high and low for what the reason could be, but it really does seem to be a number of issues occurring at the same time,鈥 Deputy Commissioner Margie Vandeven said in an interview. 鈥淭his was surprising. We were not expecting to see these results. We know our teachers are working very hard.鈥
People are also reading…
In the past two weeks, administrators at school districts across Missouri have been getting a first look at their scores on the Missouri Assessment Program and on annual performance reports, which can determine accreditation.
Specific passing percentages were not included in the memo, and state education officials said they plan to share the overall results with the Missouri State Board of Education on Tuesday. Final results for individual districts are not scheduled to be publicly available until Aug. 29.
A review of index scores for Missouri鈥檚 558 districts and charter schools showed mixed results, according to the memo. Just 128 schools 鈥 less than one-fourth of the total 鈥 showed an increase in both subjects. A total of 318 showed an increase in one or both subjects and 430 showed a decrease in one or both.
After a review by the state education department, the testing vendor and a contracted third party, no technical reason for the decline in scores was found. The review found the test was the same level of difficulty as previous versions. There also was no change in cut scores.
Among the possible reasons for a drop:
鈥 Missouri had a change in test questions for the first time since 2010. Ideally, the state would change the test every year. Because of budget constraints, Missouri used the same test form for four straight years.
鈥 Many schools used a significant number of snow days, losing instructional time and resulting in an overall disruption.
鈥 A transition year to the Missouri Learning Standards related to the Common Core, a national set of learning benchmarks adopted by most states.
Missouri won鈥檛 switch to a new test until next year using the standards. But Vandeven wrote in the memo that: 鈥淧ublic unrest regarding the Missouri Learning Standards (Common Core State Standards) created a high degree of uncertainty among teachers and administrators.鈥
Last year, Missouri also saw a slip in math scores. The percentage of students statewide who passed math decreased to 53.9 percent in 2013 from 55.5 percent the previous year. On tests in reading and writing, 55.6 percent of students passed last year鈥 the same rate as in 2012.
鈥淧lease know that 鈥 whatever the cause 鈥 a one-year dip in scores after nearly a decade of improvement does not alter the confidence we have in our teachers and leaders across our state,鈥 Vandeven wrote in the memo. 鈥淲e have great faith in the public educators in our schools and appreciate the work you do every day to serve Missouri鈥檚 students.鈥
Elisa Crouch of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.