Audit: Math tests that students failed were not flawed

An independent audit of Georgia’s math tests has found that questions on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test strongly matched what the state says students should learn, supporting the state’s position that defective exams did not contribute to high failure rates.

The review was planned before results released in May showed that about 38 percent of eighth-graders had failed the state math exam. The study backs Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox’s long-standing position that students struggled because the exams were based on a new and more rigorous math curriculum.

The Georgia Department of Education is scheduled Tuesday to release the audit, which was conducted on the state’s math and science exams to comply with federal testing mandates. Students in third through eighth grade take the tests annually.

The audit provided little consolation to parents whose children failed the exams.

“Sure the test and curriculum match, but how can it be that nearly 40 percent of the kids who took the test just didn’t get it?” said Wendy Ashabranner of Fayetteville, whose son failed the eighth-grade math test. “What if the curriculum is inadequate? What if it wasn’t taught the right way? There are more questions that must be answered.”

Christopher Domaleski, an associate superintendent for the Georgia Department of Education, said the test was sound and “provided accurate information about student performance.” The results were not out of line with how Georgia students have performed on national math exams, he said.

The state drastically changed the way students learn math after years of criticism that the old curriculum was too weak. Schools now use an integrated approach, which weaves elements of algebra, geometry and statistics into a single math class, rather than teaching each separately. Under this new math, middle school students study algebra previously taught in high school.

Cox and other state education officials said students need the new math lessons, which are tougher, so they will be better prepared for college and work. They predicted math scores will increase as students and teachers get used to the more rigorous expectations. Teachers continue to receive training on the new material.

The revised math curriculum started with sixth grade in 2005 and is being phased in annually. The 2007-08 school year was the first time eighth-grade teachers taught the new math. The curriculum moved to ninth grade this school year.

The audit described the alignment between the CRCT and math learning standards as “excellent” and said the state has “clear expectations” for its exams.

Alignment studies are required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates states to test students annually and says these exams must be aligned with each state’s learning goals.

Georgia, which paid about $62,000 for the latest study, has hired edCount LLC to conduct similar studies for other tests. The company has provided similar services to other states, and its president, Ellen Forte, has consulted for the U.S. Department of Education.

The state uses independent audits and in-house reviews to make sure exams are aligned, Domaleski said.