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Monday, December 15, 2008
Scores too good to be true?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few months ago there were lots of congratulations going around as students’ scores on CRCT retests showed huge gains. But this story questions how some schools were able to make drastic improvements.
At one school, Atherton Elementary in DeKalb, half of the fifth-graders failed the math CRCT in the spring. But when 32 kids retook the exam they all passed and 26 improved so much they scored at the highest level.
State education officials say they will investigate the gains at Atherton and four other schools.
Officials at many of the schools and districts questioned said targeted tutoring and other methods during summer school improved student learning.
These retest scores were important. Not only did it allow schools to improve their standing on the state’s CRCT, it allowed many to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Schools that fail to meet the federal law’s rules face increasingly severe sanctions.
What do you think of the some of the CRCT gains? At one point do increased scores become too good to be true?
