Most Oklahoma students lack proficiency

"With new test score standards that state education officials believe are more in line with national standards, the majority of Oklahoma students lack proficiency in all but one subject area tested," Ben Felder reports in The Oklahoman.

An average of 63 percent of Oklahoma students scored below proficient in the 18 state-required tests issued last school year in grades third through eighth, and 10th grade. The 10th-grade U.S. history test was the only exam where a majority—slightly over 50 percent—of students scored as proficient or advanced. 

Most Oklahoma students lack the basic subject-level knowledge the state now requires, according to the statewide scores released Wednesday.

The Tulsa World provides the results for some Tulsa-area school districts (see table below) and also provides results for specific schools in Tulsa.

These results are woeful, to be sure, though Oklahoma's education officials do deserve credit for finally working to close the honesty gap. This is something OCPA has been recommending for more than 11 years.

With taxpayers spending $9,781 per-pupil annually to get results like this, it's no wonder two in three Oklahomans say they're not getting a good return on their investment.

Test scores are about to go down

Tahlequah superintendent Lisa Presley sent out a district-wide email on Monday:

From: Lisa Presley
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2017 6:39 PM
To: District
Cc: Lisa Presley
Subject: state testing 

District: 

Today we had discussions regarding the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) and the 2017 test scores. Below are some of the major take-aways from the 2017 testing reset:

• The 2017 Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) results will post on Oct. 11. Districts will receive paper copies the week of Nov. 27.
• This year's testing results serve as the baseline year for ESSA accountability.
• Our state-level assessment scores now align with the ACT, SAT and NAEP.
• Our school district testing data will be in the same format as in previous years.
• Expect a significant decrease in the number of students who score proficient or higher due to the new standards, assessments, and definitions for performance levels.
• This year is a total reset and the OSTP scores cannot be compared to previous years.
• Expect steady, incremental growth in test scores moving forward.

Please remember that teachers had only one year to teach the new standards in science, ELA and math; and that the new test scores do not reflect on the effectiveness of our schools or that our students are less skilled than before. The new test scores do mean that our students are being held to a higher standard that will better prepare them for college and career.

TPS is a great school district with outstanding educators! We are ready and willing to meet the challenge of preparing our students for a bright future!

Whether or not TPS is "a great school district" is, of course, open to debate. According to researchers at the George W. Bush Institute, the average student in Tahlequah is performing better in math than 43 percent of students in the nation and 32 percent of students in other developed economies. In any case, let's hope Tahlequah and every other Oklahoma district is indeed ready and willing to succeed.

UPDATE:

The TPS superintendent says parents should not be alarmed. But if the majority of Tahlequah students lack proficiency in every subject (which is what the results will likely show), why shouldn't parents be alarmed?

Oklahoma’s proficiency gap

Why doesn't Oklahoma recognize the importance of honestly measuring student performance?

Oklahoma testing system ‘designed to hide failure’

Citing a recent report by the journal Education Next, The Oklahoman points out today that Oklahoma's testing system "is designed to hide failure."

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, states are required to test students in grades three through eight in math and reading. But states set the score required to be deemed “proficient” on those tests. 

For the most part, far lower scores are accepted for proficiency on state tests than on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test. Education Next compared the share of students deemed proficient on state tests with the share ranked that way on NAEP to determine if high standards were employed on state tests. Oklahoma ranked 45th. 

More worrisome, between 2011 and 2013, Education Next found 20 states raised the standard for proficiency on state tests while just eight states lowered standards. Oklahoma was in the latter group. 

Oklahoma families deserve a public school system that combines quality academic standards with valid testing measurement of results—not a system in which failure to meet inferior standards is still deemed a success.

Some Oklahoma districts report 100 percent graduation rates

"Oklahoma's high school graduation rate has declined, and may be worse than what’s been reported," The Oklahoman notes today in an editorial.

Also, officials won’t reveal graduation rates for more than half of school districts. 

This combination of bad data and concealed data is a serious impediment to improving Oklahoma’s schools. If the public doesn’t have valid information, how can anyone develop policies to address genuine education needs? 

Oklahoma Watch reports that Oklahoma’s high school graduation rate dropped from 84.9 percent in school year 2012-13 to 82.7 percent in 2013-14. 

The data behind those figures is an improvement over prior estimates, because it’s supposed to involve a four-year cohort. Previously, students who dropped out of school during their freshman year might not be counted in the graduation rate, artificially inflating that number. 

Even so, there’s reason to believe current data is still flawed. 

Robyn Miller, deputy superintendent for educator effectiveness and policy research at the state education department, told Oklahoma Watch that some districts may be filing inaccurate reports. At least 35 districts claimed all students graduated on time. 

“There are districts that report 100 percent and that can’t be possible,” Miller said. “For whatever reason, they don’t understand how to report.” 

A less charitable interpretation is some school officials feel free to inflate performance figures.

Oklahoma student ‘proficiency’ rates inflated by low standards

Excellent editorial today in The Oklahoman.

Oklahoma parents not getting the full picture on student proficiency

Lindsey Renuard of the Skiatook Journal has the story.

A false narrative?

I found a couple more quotes for my "ed in the sand" file. It seems that some Oklahoma bloggers are bothered by "the false narrative that public schools are failing" (or, if your prefer the creepier version with capitalization, "the false narrative that Public Education is failing").

I suppose it depends on the what the meaning of the word "failing" is. Only one in three Oklahoma fourth-graders is a proficient reader. The numbers are even worse for eighth-grade math.

Unfortunately, another new report reminds us that Oklahoma's state tests continue to mislead parents about this unacceptably poor student achievement (something OCPA has been pointing out for nearly a decade).

Telling the truth about student achievement

Janet Barresi, a candidate for state school superintendent, isn't quite willing to dub a child "proficient" in math if he scores a 44 (or even a 64) on a test.

‘Schools are still performing at some level below where they should’

Good editorial today in The Oklahoman.

You’re not doin’ fine, Oklahoma

I realize a new state law will help alleviate the problem somewhat, but man this is embarrassing.

‘We’re lying to our children’

Oklahoma has been lowering the bar, resulting in "artificially high test scores." See for yourself here.

‘Get real about achievement’

That's the message from the state's largest newspaper in a house editorial today.

Arguing for internationally benchmarked standards, [Education Secretary Arne] Duncan points out the gap in many states between scores on state-mandated and national tests that imply state expectations may be too weak. Oklahoma’s in that number. ... Duncan and the president have accused schools of lying about academic achievement. So the first step to improvement regardless of the federal investment is the simple truth about whether students are being prepared for a 21st-century global economy. (Hint: The answer is no.)

Those fighting to get that truth out in Oklahoma mustn’t stop, in spite of the governor’s veto of a measure to bring more transparency to the student achievement issue. As difficult as it may be to hear, it’s no more difficult than the reality students must confront when it becomes clear they’re prepared for neither college nor a decent job.

Oklahoma ranks third in ‘lying to children and families’

President Obama's education secretary, Arne Duncan, told The Wall Street Journal last month that some states are, ahem, "lying to children and families" about the quality of education they're providing. He repeated the assertion this month, telling George Will that "we have been lying to children and their parents because states have dumbed down their standards."

Now, which states might Mr. Duncan be talking about? This graphic from the Spring 2009 issue of Education Next speaks volumes:

Sen. Jolley echoes Obama’s education secretary

President Obama's education secretary recently acknowledged that "sometimes you have to call the baby ugly." Clark Jolley agrees. Sen. Jolley, vice chairman of the state Senate Education Committee, writes in The Norman Transcript:

It is simply fact that 90 percent of fourth-graders were deemed "proficient and above" on the reading/English portion of a 2007 Oklahoma state test. But on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as "The Nation's Report Card," only 26 percent of fourth-graders were deemed proficient. That gap was similar for eighth-grade reading and math scores.

‘Some ugly baby, huh?’

"We have been lying to children and their parents because states have dumbed down their standards," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently told George Will. "Sometimes you have to call the baby ugly."

Public school results at Casady prices

Sunshine Week, a project of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, is being observed this week. OCPA research fellow Steve Anderson thinks now would be a good time for a little sunshine and transparency from Sandy Garrett. Our state superintendent should inform Oklahoma's taxpayers that they're ponying up a whopping $10,942 per pupil.

‘Dropout discrepancies’

The Tulsa World reports:

More than 120 students dropped out of Tulsa County middle schools during the 2006-07 school year, state data show. Yet each middle school recorded a 0 percent dropout rate in Oklahoma Department of Education records.

Obama’s education secretary: states are ‘lying’

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said yesterday that some states are "lying to children and families" about the quality of education they're providing.

Some prominent Oklahomans -- a state senator, the president of BOK Financial Corp., and the president of The State Chamber, among others -- are doubtless grateful for the air cover. This can only brighten the prospects for Senate Bill 1111, which will increase the transparency and accountability of student achievement data in Oklahoma.

Let the sun shine in

Sunshine Week, spearheaded by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, will be observed March 15-21, 2009. That would be a good time for state Superintendent Sandy Garrett to announce that Oklahoma's per-pupil expenditure in FY-2007 was in fact $10,942, and that from now on Oklahoma's education officials will no longer mislead taxpayers about the real costs of public education in this state. Read more at Sunshine Review, a terrific new wiki on government transparency.