Standardized tests reshape curriculum

Pupils in fifth, eighth and eleventh grades across the state spent 10 hours in April taking the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests in reading, writing and math. Introduced in 1996, the tests are mandatory for all students.

There's a lot riding on the results of the PSSAs. Just ask administrators in the Allentown School District.

Labeled a distressed district by the state in December after more than half its students finished in the bottom 25 percent of students statewide, the district took the latest round of testing seriously.

Establishing a war chest of $42,000, the district launched an offensive to bring up its score by purchasing calculators for all fifth- and eighth-grade students, holding motivational assemblies and offering breakfast snacks to keep brain power at its peak during the week-long testing.

Districts in this area haven't quite matched Allentown's intensive effort to defeat the tests, but they have made changes in curriculum to give students a better chance of scoring well.

Every class in every grade in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, for instance, has been given the once-over in response to the mandated testing.

"We have totally revised our curriculum over the last two years," says Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Namey. "Every grade level, every subject."

At Dunmore, eighth-grade students will be learning geometry a little earlier in the school year. In the past, students were hindered by not getting geometry, which is included in the PSSAs, until after the spring testing, according to Superintendent Charles Mecca.

Other districts are also fine-tuning their teaching plans, so students aren't sandbagged.

"We're basically tweaking the curriculum to make sure kids have the abilities and skills before they are hit with them on the test," says Dr. Louis DeFazio, superintendent of North Pocono. "Our modus operandi is to always analyze what is being tested and what is being taught. If not, how can kids fairly and justly take the test?"

MORE TESTS

And take tests they do. In addition to the PSSAs, students and teachers need to worry about a battery of commercially produced and graded tests. Among them are the California Achievement Test, Metropolitan Achievement Test, Stanford Achievement Test, Iowa Test of Basic Skills and Terra Nova.

Most students locally can count on taking at least nine of those during their school careers. That's in addition to the three math, three English and three writing tests required by the state, which brings the average up to 18, more than one test for each year of school.

But how seriously are students taking the tests? Several superintendents have reported children making designs as they fill in ovals on the answer sheet -- ducks seem to be a favorite.

At Mid Valley, the district makes sure students understand the importance of tackling the PSSAs. "We take them very seriously," says Superintendent Joseph Daley.

Helpful pamphlets and booklets are handed out, while teachers reinforce the importance of the scores.

Beginning in 2003, the state will offer an incentive to 11th-graders to take the test seriously, by offering special seals on graduation diplomas for those who score well.

A good score isn't the only reward for a district. Performing well on the test also has financial implications for districts. Those that show improvement are awarded state money, 50 percent of which is earmarked for improving instructional programs, including teacher development. Up to 25 percent of the money may be spent on teacher rewards.

This year, awards handed out to school districts by county include: $423,816 to Luzerne; $287,363 to Lackawanna; $122,532 to Monroe; $107,010 to Pike; $71,925 to Susquehanna and $31,909 to Wayne. Wyoming County schools received no grants.

REPUTATION ON LINE

Money isn't the only thing hanging in the balance. There's also the reputation of the district.

"I think the results get misconstrued by the public," Mr. Daley says. "Anytime you take test results and compare districts against each other, you have to be careful. You're not comparing apples with apples."

"Too much emphasis is placed on them," Mr. Mecca states. "My personal feeling is that, at times, they can be a very negative thing for the people taking them."

The need for a watermark outweighs Dr. DeFazio's concerns over accuracy. "Districts across the commonwealth need a barometer to evaluate the status of their students," he says. "Certainly, the general public uses the results to determine the quality of the district, its education and teachers.

"Good districts are always in flux," he adds. "Despite the PSSAs, the good districts are always striving to get better."