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Schools Might Put State Tests on Transcripts; 2 Districts Consider How to Make Students Take Tests Seriously

Posted on: Wednesday, 30 November 2005, 15:00 CST

By JAMAAL ABDUL-ALIM

Brown Deer Fifteen-year-old Anthony Matlock says a fellow student bragged recently about completing a series of math problems on the state's standardized test in about two minutes not because he is a math whiz, but because he chose his answers willy-nilly.

For Matlock, who took the test more seriously, the problems took at least a half-hour.

While the case may be an extreme example, students often take a less-than-serious approach to standardized tests such as the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination, or WKCE, which was administered from Oct. 24 to last week in the state's public schools.

In an effort to get students to take the exams more seriously, school administrators in Brown Deer are exploring whether to list individual WKCE scores on student transcripts. The move which has no shortage of skeptics and critics would make the Brown Deer School District one of the few, perhaps the first school district in the state, to do so. The St. Francis School District also is considering a move to include the scores on student transcripts, which are used by colleges to determine student eligibility.

Jim Piatt, principal of Brown Deer High School, says students need to be in the "accountability loop" of the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal law requiring school districts to have all students proficient in reading and math by 2014.

"If we're going to put all this time and expense into this testing effort, and yet de-emphasize the importance to the students themselves, there seems to be a pretty big disconnect," Piatt says. "It does seem a little curious that we don't send the message to students that this is important and make it a part of their transcript."

But Steve Peha, president of Teaching That Makes Sense Inc., a Seattle-based education consulting organization, dismissed the idea because the only scores colleges care about are from college entrance exams such as the ACT and SAT.

"My state's test is meaningless to me and to my college," Peha says. "If I'm smart enough to go to college, my state test is going to be a joke. And if I can't pass my state test, there's no way I'm even applying for college, so, again, the information is superfluous."

The idea got a relatively cool response during a recent meeting of the School Board's Instruction Committee; it will be considered by the committee again this winter.

Proposal draws assorted views

The prospect drew mixed reactions from students.

Matlock, who says he typically does well on tests, would welcome the move.

"It'll definitely make kids feel more responsible and not just fill in circles," Matlock says.

Others questioned the idea.

"I think we have enough to worry about with the ACT being on our transcripts," says sophomore Harry Evans, 16.

Whereas the ACT better measures what students have learned throughout their high school career, Evans says, the WKCE is given in the fall of the sophomore year and thus measures only what students have learned during their freshman year and a month or so of their sophomore year.

Evans says that while administrators claim they want students to take the test more seriously, he thinks the real reason is to make sure the district doesn't incur any penalties under the No Child Left Behind Act, which calls for sanctions such as curriculum overhauls and administrative restructuring for districts that fail to make adequate yearly progress in boosting their students' math and reading proficiency.

"That's all just a way to make everyone do it, so the school doesn't get a low rating," Evans says.

And that's not a bad thing, says sophomore Sebastian Kelly, 16, who says students should do their best will because low test scores reflect poorly on the district.

Piatt, the principal, says upholding a positive image of the district is one reason he wants students to take the exams seriously, but there are others.

Including WKCE scores on student transcripts could help guidance counselors steer students toward classes for which they are suited. However, WKCE scores arrive in spring, and course enrollment decisions are made in late February and early March, notes guidance counselor James Flegel.

Punishing struggling students

Flegel expressed concern with the proposal because it could hurt the self-esteem of struggling students. Peha, of Teaching That Makes Sense, voices similar concerns.

"All the data we have on threatening kids with humiliation or punishment for poor school performance suggests that in the majority of cases, it is irrelevant kids' performance is not changed by threat," Peha says. "And, in cases where kids are very low, often because they don't speak English, it increases dropout rates."

Brown Deer Science teacher Jamie Tremaine says listing WKCE scores on transcripts would give students "more ownership" of their test scores. "Some students feel like whatever happens on tests doesn't affect them personally, but putting them on transcripts will move them to strive to do better," she says.

Tremaine says she tells students that doing poorly on the test could lead to state sanctions on the district. "I tell the students that, but they're like, Well, I'm not going to be here when that happens.' "

Copyright 2005, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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