As expected, ELA and math scores plunge Decline attributed to introduction of new Common Core tests

On Board Online • August 12, 2013

By Paul Heiser
Senior Research Analyst

Student scores on the grades 3-8 English Language Arts and math assessments dropped precipitously in 2013 compared with last year as new tests were introduced to measure the Common Core State Standards. 

In English Language Arts (ELA), 31.1 percent of students in grades 3-8 statewide met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard. In 2012, the percentage meeting or exceeding proficiency was 55.1 percent. The story was similar for math: 31 percent of grades 3-8 students met or exceeded the math proficiency standard, compared with 64.8 percent in 2012.

State Education Commissioner John King cautioned that the percentages of students meeting the proficiency standards on the exams should not be compared directly with prior-year results. He said the results are not an indicator of decreased student performance but rather better, more accurate assessments of a more challenging curriculum.

“These proficiency scores do not reflect a drop in performance, but rather a raising of standards to reflect college and career readiness in the 21st century,” King said in a news release. “I understand these scores are sobering for parents, teachers, and principals. It’s frustrating to see our children struggle. But we can’t allow ourselves to be paralyzed by frustration; we must be energized by this opportunity. The results we’ve announced today are not a critique of past efforts; they’re a new starting point on a roadmap to future success.”

This year’s state assessments were the first for New York students to measure the Common Core State Standards that were adopted by the State Board of Regents in 2010. Scores were expected to drop as a result of schools not having time to fully implement the new curriculum. The change in scores essentially established a new baseline measurement of student learning which more accurately reflects student progress toward college and career readiness.

“Ideally, we should have taken more time to develop support for standards, align curriculum and professional development, and design tests that reflected what students had actually been exposed to,” said NYSSBA Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer. “But waiting a year may not have changed the test results significantly. This is a baseline. Now we clearly see the challenge ahead.”

King said the scores on the new assessments would not negatively impact teacher, principal or school accountability ratings. He said no new districts will be identified as “focus districts” and no new schools will be identified as “priority” schools based on 2012-13 assessment results. He said also that the student growth scores used in teacher and principal evaluation will result in similar proportions of educators earning each rating category (highly effective, effective, developing and ineffective) for student growth in 2012-13 compared to 2011-12, despite the change in students who score at proficiency. That is in large part because the state’s student growth model takes into consideration changes in student performance compared to “similar” students (i.e. students with similar characteristics and academic histories).

The ELA and math proficiency results for different race/ethnicity groups across grades 3-8 show the continued existence of an achievement gap between white and minority students. While 39.9 percent of white students met or exceeded the proficiency standard on the ELA exam, only 16.1 percent of African-American students and 17.7 percent of Hispanic students met or exceeded the proficiency standard. In math, 38.1 percent of whites met or exceeded the proficiency standard, compared with 15.3 percent of African-American students and 18.4 percent of Hispanic students. As with the overall results, the percentages of students in all race/ethnicity groups meeting or exceeding proficiency standards dropped significantly from 2012.

There were also drops in scores for English language learners and students with disabilities. Only 3.2 percent of English language learners in grades 3-8 met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard, compared with 11.7 percent in 2012. In math, 9.8 percent of English language learners met or exceeded the math proficiency standard. In 2012 the percentage was 34.4 percent.

Meanwhile, 5 percent of students with disabilities met or exceeded the ELA proficiency standard, compared with 15.5 percent in 2012. Seven percent of students with disabilities met or exceeded the math proficiency standard; in 2012 the percentage was 28.5 percent.