Cut Scores and Grade Inflation
8-7-13
This is a followup to yesterday’s post: The Test Scores Are Coming!
Some more background that will help us understand all the talk around today’s test-score headlines.
What are “Cut Scores” and what do they have to do with grade inflation?
GothamSchools.org put together a great post walking us through State Education Commissioner John King‘s decision to accept the recommendations of his advisory committee. The post’s author, Geoff Decker, does a nice job showing the change in test scores as the office of Commissioner changed hands from Mills to King in 2010.
The post asks some good questions about transparency. Who sets the standards and how?
“Although the state’s methodology for choosing cut scores was reviewed by independent testing experts, Regent Kathy Cashin suggested the state should have gone further. She asked why the state had not appointed an independent expert to analyze the test items to asses the panel’s work. Assistant Commissioner Ken Wagner said that the role of the independent experts was only to examine the process.”
http://gothamschools.org/2013/07/24/king-wont-change-cut-score-advice-for-new-common-core-tests/
More as this develops!
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