Maine elementary and middle school students may soon have to take yearly standardized math and reading tests so Maine can comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Under the year-old education reform law, states are required to assess students’ reading and math skills every year from grades 3 through 8. But currently, Maine only tests students in grades 4 and 8.

To fill that gap for about 60,000 kids in grades 3, 5, 6 and 7, school systems had planned to use local assessments, such as portfolios and projects. Since they are being phased in by state law anyway, officials believed such local evaluations would be the best way to comply with No Child Left Behind.

The U.S. Department of Education told Maine officials those local assessments would be OK. But school systems would have to prove that each assessment was valid, reliable and comparable – for example, that a Lewiston fifth-grader’s portfolio provided the same insight as an Auburn fifth-grader’s standardized test.

The Maine Department of Education is concerned that the state’s beleaguered schools won’t be able to do that by the federal government’s summer 2004 deadline. A recent survey showed that 40 percent of school systems are only just beginning to create their local assessments.

“The evidence was fairly sobering,” said Maine Deputy Education Commissioner Patrick Phillips.

To reduce the pressure on school systems, the Maine Department of Education has decided to consider a new statewide standardized test. A test would ensure that Maine meets No Child Left Behind’s regulations on time without rushing local assessments.

According to Phillips, the exam would be similar to the Maine Educational Assessment, which uses a mix of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions to gauge students’ skills in several subjects for grades 4, 8 and 11. But the new exam would be shorter and simpler, testing only reading and math.

The new test could cost about $20 per student, or more than $1 million. The federal government is expected to pay the bill.

State officials hope the new test would be temporary. School systems would still be required to develop assessments that meet federal No Child Left Behind guidelines.

“It’s a real balancing act that we’re trying to achieve here,” Phillips said. “It’s not a simple thing.”

Maine Education Commissioner Susan Gendron will discuss the proposal with the Legislature’s education committee next week.

She will decide in mid-August whether to implement the new test.

ltice@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link