State School Board Considers Replacing MAP With ACT

By Janese Heavin, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

Mar. 21–Allison Thiele, a Hickman High School junior, is taking the ACT next month, and she’s taking it seriously, her mom said.

Linda Thiele said Allison plans to study for the college entrance exam during and outside regular school hours. She said she doubts her daughter will prepare in the same way for the Missouri Assessment Program tests.

“You’ve heard the rumors that kids taking the MAP tests don’t think they’re important and may not try as hard as they could,” she said.

That perception is the driving factor behind a Missouri State Board of Education proposal to replace high school MAP tests with a college entrance exam such as the ACT or SAT, said Jim Morris of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Under the proposal, the ACT or SAT would be given to all 11th-graders, who now take MAP tests along with 10th-graders. The goal would be to get students to take the test used to assess performance more seriously, Morris said, which could lead to a more accurate gauge of their achievement.

Unlike the ACT, which is used by colleges and potential employers, the MAP tests are “high stakes for schools and districts but not for students,” said Sally Beth Lyon, director of research, assessment and accountability for Columbia Public Schools.

“One concern of ours is that MAP tests don’t have any kind of impact on student grades or college entrance,” Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Cozette said. “Some districts, and our district in some cases, have made some attempt to tie MAP tests into some kind of reward, but it has not been consistent.”

Between 70 percent and 75 percent of Columbia high school students already take the ACT voluntarily, Lyon said. Last year, Columbia students had an average composite score of 23.5 — well above the state average of 21.6 and the national average of 20.9. The highest score possible on the ACT is 36.

Based on 2005 MAP scores, Columbia high schools failed to meet the adequate yearly progress standards established by the No Child Left Behind Act.

If the state substitutes the ACT for the MAP, Morris said, the composite score will have to be broken down into subscores to determine the annual progress data required by No Child Left Behind.

Under the state school board plan, the state would require a separate MAP test for science because “the belief is the ACT does not adequately cover science standards,” Morris said. A writing component, which is not part of the basic ACT, also could be added to the state’s assessment testing proposal, he said.

Cozette questioned whether a college entrance exam would be the best measure of student performance.

“The ACT is certainly a highly respected assessment, but I’m not sure it was designed to be a high-stakes test for the state of Missouri,” she said. “Anything we could do to help students do their best and draw a true picture of what they learned would be positive. But there’s no proof a high-stakes test would do that for us. I don’t think there’s enough research out there to show us this is an effective way to measure student progress.”

As in most school districts, Columbia’s curriculum is based on Missouri standards and is aligned with the MAP tests. If the plan were approved, Cozette said, “we would want to take another look and ensure our curriculum is well-aligned with the standards with which the ACT is aligned.”

Morris said school districts should not have to change their curricula under the proposed testing system.

The state elementary and secondary education department has scheduled town hall meetings in seven cities next month to get public input. The first public meeting is also in the town closest to Columbia — at 9 a.m. April 12 at the middle school in Macon.

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