Fourth-Grade Fiasco
If Chancellor Joel Klein doesn’t fix the problem, a nonsensical state writing test will taint the middle-school admissions process for thousands of NYC students
- The two main essay questions on the 2006 ELA test (including the one about “Brownie the Cow” and the even more illogical question about "The Stolen Moon") make no sense!
- Only 1 in 17 NYC 4th graders scored a 4 -- down 60% from 2005
- It’s yet another writing-test debacle for CTB/McGraw Hill, the state’s testing contractor
- NY State says its tests aren’t all-purpose diagnostic tools – but that’s how Klein uses them
- NYC uses the state's 4th grade test as an "SAT" for middle school -- excluding students from selective schools and programs based on their scores
If we're going to let test scores drive everything from student promotions to curricular adjustments to personnel decisions, shouldn't we at least make sure the tests make sense and the test-makers are competent?