The California State Board of Education is set to decide on Wednesday whether to adopt new labels for standardized test scores. The proposed change aims to provide a more positive description of student performance, replacing “Standard Not Met” with “Below Basic” and “Standard Nearly Met” with “Basic.” The current categories for student scores are “Standard Exceeded,” “Standard Met,” “Standard Nearly Met,” and “Standard Not Met.”
The decision to revise these labels comes after concerns were raised by advocacy groups about the potentially discouraging nature of the existing terms. The board delayed a decision in November to allow for public input from students, parents, educators, and advocates. According to the Los Angeles Times, the proposed terms align with those used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which categorizes scores as “Below Basic,” “Basic,” “Proficient,” and “Advanced.”
The move to change the labels is part of a broader effort to provide clarity and positivity in reporting student performance. Natalie Wheatfall-Lum, director of education policy for EdTrust-West, said, “The current proposal is a step forward in providing parents with an accurate picture of how well their children perform in school.” However, she emphasized the need for clear descriptions of these labels to ensure parents understand their child’s performance.
The debate over test score labels comes amid ongoing concerns about student achievement levels, which have not fully recovered from pre-pandemic declines. FutureEd reports that NAEP scores show a significant gap between state and national proficiency standards, with many states reporting higher proficiency rates on their own tests compared to NAEP.
In Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers criticized the state’s Department of Public Instruction for lowering test standards without sufficient public input. According to CBS 58, Evers described the decision as a “mistake” and emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards.
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