This spring, Maine schools will administer the new Maine Education Assessment to students in grades 3 through 8 and third year of high school. This assessment will be the most effective tool yet for measuring student progress and identifying needed changes in classroom instruction.

Maine has been using a state-wide tool since 1984, and the 2001 passage of No Child Left Behind resulted in all states developing assessments to qualify for federal education funds. All those earlier tools had major flaws.

First, the assessments emphasized rote learning to the detriment of critical thinking.

Second, annual school progress was tracked by comparing the scores of unlike cohort groups, e.g., this year’s fourth grade class to last year’s fourth grade class.

Third, there were many months between the assessment administration and the results being available, providing no timely opportunity to adjust instructional strategies.

Finally, the assessments measured different standards from state to state and were not comparable.

Despite those drawbacks, the annual assessments did draw attention to the significant differences in school results across the country. Prior to NCLB, these differences were either not known or just ignored. We can thank NCLB for the identification of underperforming student populations and more focus on school improvement, particularly among lower income groups.

In 2009, a multi-state coalition worked to develop the Common Core, a new set of standards better aligned with what students need for future success in college and the workplace. Some have unfairly criticized the Common Core as being too rigorous or for representing interference of the federal government into state education policy.

Presently, most states have willingly adopted the Common Core, and two years ago Maine amended the Maine Learning Results to encompass these standards in mathematics and English language arts.

The MEA includes the Smarter Balanced assessment to measure progress toward the Common Core standards that should now be taught in classrooms. This assessment is vastly different than the earlier ones as it is designed to assess higher order thinking, writing and other skills students should be learning. The results will be more immediately available and help teachers adjust instructional strategies.

Some are advocating that parents opt-out their children from taking the MEA. Reasons cited include undo stress on students, too much testing and concerns about how the assessment will be used.

Parents should know that there is no time limit for the assessment, and students are able to hear as well as read the assessment questions. The MEA is also an adaptive assessment, meaning that the level of questions will adjust to assess the educational level of where a child is. This valuable information will be shared with parents.

The MEA is state-funded and closely aligned with the outcome goals of public education. By meeting both state and local needs, the MEA should reduce the number of assessments and has the potential to save school districts money. Lewiston presently spends more than $60,000 annually on assessments that can be replaced by the MEA.

Maine will use the MEA results to compute state report cards on schools beginning in the fall of 2016. While the present grading formula unfairly penalizes schools with higher rates of poverty, Lewiston still has the potential to show improvements. Unfortunately, the lack of participation of some of our higher proficient students will lower our results. In addition, Maine penalizes schools by one letter grade if participation falls below 95 percent.

Another objection is the use of MEA results as a factor in teacher evaluation, although the federal government has already indicated that the MEA must be used. Failure to do so will result in Maine losing its flexibility to administer federal educational funds. Lewiston may be forced to lay off some of its 70 federally funded positions.

Some states have similar assessments, counting as much as 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation. I find that much too high, given all the various factors that influence student performance, including high student mobility rates in many of our classrooms. A more modest percentage of 10 to 15 percent, however, does seem reasonable.

Just when the MEA is finally realizing its potential is not the time to opt-out. We best educate Lewiston students and promote public education by assessing all students.

Bill Webster is superintendent of schools in Lewiston.

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