By Dale Chu
From Missouri to Texas to Illinois, state leaders are debating the nuts and bolts of annual assessments. Whether it’s recalibrating score reports, lowering proficiency bars, or scrapping tests entirely, the constant is that state testing policy remains under pressure.
Missouri adds a “grade-level” mark to test reports
Missouri lawmakers recently passed legislation requiring state test results to show whether students are at “grade level,” alongside the existing performance levels (i.e., below basic, basic, proficient, advanced). The aim is to clarify the difference between “proficient” on the state exam and actual grade-level performance—often conflated and used interchangeably.
If enacted into law, Missouri would join Florida and North Carolina, which also report “grade level” as a distinct benchmark—lower than “proficient”—to offer a more nuanced picture of student achievement. It all sounds well and good, but the inclusion of an additional tier could sow further confusion.
Texas district urges governor to eliminate STAAR
Frustration over the state’s STAAR exam continues to percolate as one North Texas district recently asked Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session to do away with the test. They argue that STAAR promotes teaching to the test and fails to capture a full picture of student learning.
Earlier legislative efforts to replace STAAR with three shorter, norm-referenced tests per year collapsed over disagreements about how to preserve accountability. Some districts are now pushing for broader, more “holistic” systems that include local indicators like career readiness and the arts. The upshot is that STAAR survives, but the broader fight over testing in the Lone Star state is far from over.
Illinois plans to lower cut scores
Illinois is poised to lower its proficiency cut scores on state exams, citing concerns that current standards are unrealistically high and misidentify students who are otherwise doing well in school or college. If adopted, the new scores will apply retroactively to this spring’s tests and be publicly reported in October.
Although the state superintendent says the change would bring Illinois in line with other states and provide a more accurate read on student readiness, lowering cut scores will likely only exacerbate the honesty gap.
Illinois joins the naughty list along with states like New York, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin that have recently adjusted or quietly lowered cut scores. To its credit, however, Oklahoma has responded by moving to raise academic expectations.
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In all three states, the tension between transparency, rigor, and political palatability is on full display. Whether the goal is to better inform parents, appease local districts, or goose proficiency rates, the risk is the same: that assessments end up saying less, not more, about how students are really doing.