State education officials are taking a progressive step by instituting standardized exams that will challenge students and get them closer aligned with the more difficult federal standards, more commonly known as Common Core.
According to the Louisiana Department of Education website, the new academic standards are based on research and developed by a coalition of educators from 45 states, including Louisiana. The Common Core standards, according to the website, raise the academic bar but are also more relevant to the post-secondary education success of students.
During this past legislative session lawmakers blocked an attempt to delay the implementation of the new testing, which has drawn some criticism.
The decision to institute the more difficult exams is commendable but also lands the state on the precipice of a slippery slope of lower test scores and potentially more failing schools, at least in the first year. For example, in Kentucky, the first state to adopt the standards, high school proficiency scores in math and reading fell in the first year of testing but the percentage of students better prepared for college or the workforce rose by 9 percent.
Several of Louisiana’s current rating policies in place are dependent on test results, including students in fourth and eighth grades advancing to the next grade based on the annual LEAP test scores. Without some concessions, at least in the early stages, a greater percentage of students may be forced to repeat the grade.
Test scores also play a major role in a complex formula that determines a school’s letter grade, which could have a direct impact on the voucher program. Currently, students attending schools ranked C and below are eligible to participate in the Louisiana Scholarship Program, which allows those pupils to attend private or parochial schools.
But lower scores could send overall school grades tanking, thus creating even more of a demand for students applying for vouchers.
Lower test scores could also mean more schools become Academically Unacceptable, which carries it own consequences. East St. John High School just in the last few years managed to pull itself out of the Academically Unacceptable category, but stricter standards could put the school back in that category.
Raising the bar in education is always a positive step forward, even with the potential pitfalls. Education officials are on the right path in demanding higher levels of performance from all state students.
Logic and common sense must also be used in tweaking the rating system used for teacher evaluations. Although the short term might say otherwise based on test results, Louisiana is correct in challenging its young people and make greater demands that they meet their educational potential.