More schools look to alternative assessments

Since the dawn of educational time, school districts across the state have relied on the annual Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) to assess their schools' performance.

(I do believe this test was used solely for the purpose of bragging rights at school administration conferences.)

With the advent of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, however, the stakes have increased exponentially. Now school districts are punished by having poor test results - the punishment - withholding federal tax money. Money that could be used for additional staff training, books, and other educational tools that MAY actually raise test scores.

There are two fundamental problems with the WKCE:

1. The test is given in October. Shouldn't an assessment test be done towards the end of the learning year, and not the beginning?

2. The results of the October test are not released until April or May. Fourth graders not reading at grade level? Oh well, I guess we'll have to do something about it next year. Never mind that we have lost nearly a whole school year in figuring that out!

Many schools are now scrambling to find to alternative assessments, such as the NWEA-MAP, to assess both the district needs, and more importantly, the individual student's needs. RUSD has been using these tests for 2 or 3 years with much success. In fact, this was one of the few "reform-initiatives" that the former superintendent introduced that actually had full support from ALL stakeholders within the district.

What I, as a parent, like most about the NWEA-MAP tests is this:

1. There are taken 3 times a year and the results are nearly immediate - within 24 hours I have a individualized report on my child's results, with special attention paid to the progress made since the last testing.

2. The results are reported with NATIONAL norms, meaning I know how well my child did against other children in the district, state and across the country.

For once, its refreshing to know that RUSD isn't behind the proverbial 8-ball in bringing innovation to its students and teachers.

WKCE testing sets low standards

There is a story in today's Journal-Sentinel that may be shocking to some - our state proficiency testing, the WKCE, sets low standards for the children in Wisconsin public schools. This, however, is not "news" for some.

The report was based on research by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), an organization that works with about 2,700 school districts across the United States, including some in Wisconsin, on improving educational programs. The organization has its own testing program, the Measures of Academic Progress(MAP).

RUSD is one of those Wisconsin districts that uses NWEA-MAP testing three times a year to monitor student achievement, not simply relying on the annual WKCE results. I'm not suggesting that the district has thrown out the WKCE, that is impossible, but the district does rely on the almost immediate feedback of the NWEA-MAP to adjust and realign teaching in Racine - area classrooms.

RUSD is bucking the trend in Wisconsin by not using the WKCE as their sole monitoring tool as other districts across the state do. I am certainly NOT suggesting everything is rosy in the district, but it is somewhat good news that RUSD has recognized that the Wisconsin state standards are low and are trying to do something about it.