Vermont State School Board Declares Independence From Federal Education Testing Policy

Normally, one doesn’t expect a state board of education to oppose federal education policy.  As we’ve long been told, unless states comply with federal standards, the feds will cut off the money.  But last week, the Vermont State Board of Education issued a resolution suspending the use of the new Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) standardized tests as a means of evaluating schools and students.  The resolution went further, calling on Congress and the Obama Administration to make substantial changes to No Child Left Behind, the Bush-era legislation that has been the chief driver behind today’s testing regime.

Students will still be taking the tests, and the Board makes it clear that they aren’t against standardized testing altogether.  But students’ test scores won’t count against them (or their schools and teachers), at least not “until empirical studies confirm a sound relationship between performance on the SBAC and critical and valued life outcomes (‘college and career-ready’).”  Needless to say, such confirmation could take years to establish.

While empirical tests are conducted, the board states: “test results should not be used to make normative and consequential judgments about schools and students.”  In other words, don’t rely on them until someone proves that the testing methodology works.

The Board’s stated reasons for taking this action hinge on the difficulty of administering the tests by computer across all Vermont schools — so-called “implementation challenges” — as well as a fear that schools will be mislabeled as failing due to low test results on the new test.  Many schools have already been deemed failing by federal standards using the old NECAP test, which may explain the Board’s anxiety.  When new Common Core-aligned tests were used in New York state two years ago, test scores plummeted.

The Vermont Board’s latest statement, available here, details concerns about the ability of students to perform well on a brand new test based on a brand new curriculum for which most schools don’t have text books.  “Our students are being tested as if they had access to Common Core-aligned curricula for their entire educational career, “ the statement notes.  Trouble is, they haven’t.

In August of last year, the Board issued a resolution entitled Statement and Resolution on Assessment and Accountability (Adopted August 19, 2014 ) which provides background regarding the Board’s current views on No Child Left Behind and the kind standardized testing it requires. In a related press release, they write:

“It is commonly agreed by observers from many perspectives that the No Child Left Behind law is unrealistic, insufficiently funded and not achieving its purposes. Nevertheless, the law remains in effect until Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education began issuing waivers to states, excusing them from meeting the requirement of all students in all schools passing the tests by 2014. However, to be issued such a waiver, teachers and principals have to be evaluated on gains in test scores. The Vermont State Board resolution finds that such use of standardized tests for evaluating teachers and schools is not scientifically defensible. To use an unreliable set of scores to make personnel or evaluative decisions is too inaccurate and thus raises ethical issues.”

“This combination of excessive testing coupled with unwarranted high-stakes consequences, ‘has caused considerable collateral damage, such as narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, reducing love of learning, pushing students out of school, and undermining school climate.’”

The August resolution states its position plainly:

“The State Board of Education advocates for reducing the amount of time spent on summative, standardized testing and encourages the federal government to reduce the current requirements for annual testing in multiple subjects in every grade, 3-8, and then again in high school. Excessive testing diverts resources and time away from learning while providing little additional value for accountability purposes.”

Take that, federal education experts.

In Brattleboro, public school administrators have seemed pretty sold on the testing paradigm that has dominated public education since the Bush era.  During public meetings in the last couple years, school administrators here defended testing as necessary and useful, despite complaints from parents and people that it was excessive.  However, the State School Board is explicit in rejecting the “teach to the test”  methods now common in most classrooms.  

Some of these changes in philosophy may take time to trickle down, given how long teachers and administrators have labored to make No Child Left Behind work.  Based on statements made at public meetings here, many of our educators firmly believe in the very policies they are now being directed to relax.

Nevertheless,  after almost 15 years of decreasing marginal returns, Vermont is striking out in a new direction.  For test-weary school children, this change of plan can only be good news.  

For those who don’t have time to read the whole resolution, here are the resolutions without supporting arguments:

From Statement and Resolution on the Appropriate Use of SBAC Standardized Tests and School Accountability

Adopted: Tuesday, March 17, 2015

RESOLVED that the Vermont State Board of Education will not use SBAC scores for the 2014-15 year for the purpose of annual school evaluation determinations; and 

RESOLVED that the Vermont State Board believes that until students’ elementary through high school education has been guided by the new standards and schools have had practice with administering the SBAC test and interpreting SBAC results, the results of the SBAC assessment will not support reliable and valid inferences about student performance, and thus should not be used as the basis for any consequential purpose; and 

RESOLVED that until empirical studies confirm a sound relationship between performance on the SBAC and critical and valued life outcomes (“college and career-ready”), test results should not be used to make normative and consequential judgments about schools and students; and 

RESOLVED that the Vermont State Board of Education finds it inappropriate to use the results of this assessment, a pilot test, for any form of accountability that could misidentify and/or mislabel schools and divert attention from the more comprehensive Vermont Education Quality Review and any findings that might come out of that review; and 

RESOLVED that the Vermont State Board of Education supports the Secretary of Education’s efforts to fully implement the Education Quality Standards, through an Education Quality Review process; an assessment that will reflect the values of Vermont and will give a more holistic view of the status of Vermont Schools than the SBAC assessments; and 

RESOLVED that the Vermont State Board of Education calls on Vermont state legislators to sufficiently fund the Agency of Education to provide the resources and capacity needed to implement the Education Quality Review Process; and 

RESOLVED, that the Vermont State Board of Education again calls on the United States Congress and Administration to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as the “No Child Left Behind Act”) to reduce testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality, eschew the use of student test scores in evaluating educators, and allow flexibility that reflects the unique circumstances of all states. 

— Resolution

Vermont State Board of Education

March 17, 2015