Going through the motions
If you haven't read about your state-mandated achievement/ability test and how the kids aren't doing well enough as we'd hope, please email me.

In Indiana, it's called the ISTEP+ and recently the state DOE asked teachers (144 of them...that number sounds really biblical to me) to help in determining "cut" scores for the upcoming years.

Here's a tad from the article:

State officials decided not to accept lower scoring guidelines recommended by 144 teachers who spent three days last week poring through the test booklet, trying to determine what students could achieve.

Instead, the state education board adopted "pass," "did not pass" and "pass plus" scores that will be used during the next six years to measure student academic progress, based on the opinions of an expert panel...

Not everyone is happy with Tuesday's outcome.

"Why involve teachers in the process in the first place if our opinion doesn't mean anything?" said Judith Briganti, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association.

Teacher recommendations for the pass scores were not as rigorous as those adopted Tuesday. Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen K. Reed said those recommendations were not the only consideration.

"These teachers did a wonderful job and gave us a starting point. But that was just one step in the process," Reed said...

But business leaders pushed for the higher pass scores.

"Rigor means tougher standards, not watering it down," said David Shane, senior vice president of LDI Ltd.

The recommendations of the teachers were adjusted by the Education Department so they would be aligned with the state's academic standards and would be in compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.