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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — There's good news and bad news in Delaware students' performance on a new standardized test linked to Common Core academic standards.
The good news, state officials said, is that results released Wednesday show that Delaware students did better than expected on the Smarter Balanced assessment.
The bad news: Statewide, barely half of Delaware students, 52 percent, showed proficiency in English language arts. Less than 39 percent scored proficiently in math, including less than one-fourth of 11th graders.
"Simply put, these assessments that our children took are harder.... It does not mean that our students learned any less," said outgoing education secretary Mark Murphy.
Murphy and Gov. Jack Markell said the Smarter Balanced test results provide a new baseline to measure student progress. They said the results cannot be easily compared to the previous multiple choice test, known as the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System, or DCAS.
"Smarter Balanced is harder and different from any of our past state assessments," Markell said. "It tests more skills then we've ever tested before, and it does so more rigorously. For the first time, our students had to do more than fill in bubbles. They had to write essays, show their work and answer complex, real world problems."
If Delaware students can meet the more rigorous Common Core standards, Murphy said, they will be better prepared to enter college or the workforce.
"They need to be able to apply knowledge, not just regurgitate it," he said.
First year test results indicate, however, that helping students meet the higher standards will be a challenge.
Students still in elementary school tended to perform better on the test. Markell attributed that to being introduced to the higher standards at an early age. Performance tended to decline in higher grades. In math, for example, 53 percent of third-graders statewide met proficiency standards, compared to only 35 percent of eighth-graders and only 23 percent of high school juniors.
"There have been significant shifts in the content standards in mathematics," said Murphy, adding that 11th graders previously had not taken a statewide assessment. It had been administered in ninth and 10th grades.
In English, statewide proficiency measures ranged from a high of 55 percent in fifth grade to a low of 48 percent in sixth grade.
Among districts and schools, however, performance varied greatly.
Roughly 96 percent of students took the test statewide, meeting the 95 percent threshold set by the federal government. The participation rate fell short in 11th grade, however, with only about 90 percent of students taking the test.
Three of the state's 19 school districts — Christina, New Castle County Vo-Tech and Polytech — also fell short of the participation threshold. It's unclear what, if any implications that will have for Delaware's education system.
"We are in constant communication with the U.S. Department of Education in regards to what the implications are," said Murphy, who noted that the two vo-tech districts are both high schools, and that their participation rates thus reflect only 11th graders. "That will be an ongoing conversation."
In July, Markell vetoed a bill allowing Delaware's public school students to opt out of both statewide and district tests without repercussions. The bill was specifically aimed at the Smarter Balanced assessment, which has come under attack from lawmakers and the state teachers union. Markell said at the time that allowing students to opt out could marginalize the highest-need students, threaten millions of dollars in federal funding and undermine Delaware's economic competitiveness. Meanwhile, the administration has agreed to delay using Smarter Balanced test results for teacher evaluations for the next two years.
"A dose of honesty is very much in order here," Markell said in releasing the Smarter Balanced results.
Officials said families of individual students should be getting test results in the mail in the next couple of weeks.
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Wakati wa kusoma: 3-4 dakika Habari hii ya kumbukumbu inapatikana tu kwa matumizi yako ya kibinafsi, yasiyo ya kibiashara. Habari zilizo katika hadithi hiyo huenda zikatoweka au zikabadilishwa na habari za ziada. Kusoma au kucheza tena hadithi katika fomu yake ya kumbukumbu haifanyi uchapishaji mpya wa hadithi. WILMINGTON, Del. (Jiji la Marekani) Habari njema na mbaya za wanafunzi wa Delaware katika mtihani mpya wa kawaida unaohusiana na viwango vya kawaida vya kitaaluma "Hata hivyo, taarifa ya serikali ya jimbo la Delaware ilisema: ""Hatua za wanafunzi wa Delaware zilikuwa bora kuliko ilivyotarajiwa katika tathmini ya ""Smarter Balanced.""" Kwa upande mwingine, katika jimbo la Delaware, asilimia 52 ya wanafunzi wanaonyesha ustadi katika lugha ya Kiingereza. Asilimia 39 ya wanafunzi walipata alama nzuri katika hesabu, ikiwa ni pamoja na chini ya robo ya wanafunzi wa darasa la kumi na moja. "Kwa ufupi, uchunguzi huu ambao watoto wetu walifanya ni mgumu zaidi.... "Hii haimaanishi kwamba wanafunzi wetu wamejifunza kidogo,"" alisema waziri wa elimu Mark Murphy." na Murphy Gav. Jackell alisema matokeo ya mtihani wa Smarter Balanced hutoa msingi mpya wa kupima maendeleo ya wanafunzi. "Hata hivyo, matokeo ya mtihani huo yanafanana na matokeo ya mtihani wa ""Multiple Choice"" unaoitwa Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS)." "Smarter Balanced ni ngumu zaidi na tofauti na tathmini yoyote ya zamani ya serikali yetu", Markell alisema. "Inajaribu ustadi zaidi kuliko tulivyowahi kuuchunguza hapo awali, na inafanya hivyo kwa ukali zaidi. Kwa mara ya kwanza, wanafunzi wetu walihitaji kufanya mengi zaidi ya kujaza vifuniko. Walilazimika kuandika insha, kuonyesha kazi yao na kujibu matatizo magumu ya ulimwengu halisi". "Mwanafunzi wa Delaware anaweza kukidhi viwango vya Common Core, ""alisema Murphy, ""watakuwa tayari zaidi kuingia chuo kikuu au kazi.""" "Wanahitaji kuwa na uwezo wa kutumia ujuzi, si tu kuurejesha", akasema. Hata hivyo, matokeo ya mitihani ya mwaka wa kwanza yanaonyesha kwamba kuwasaidia wanafunzi kufikia viwango vya juu zaidi kutakuwa jambo gumu. Wanafunzi waliokuwa bado katika shule ya msingi walikuwa na mwelekeo wa kufanya vizuri zaidi katika mtihani huo. Markell alisema kwamba hilo lilitokana na kuwa na viwango vya juu zaidi akiwa na umri mdogo. Utendaji ulipungua katika madarasa ya juu. Kwa mfano, katika masomo ya hisabati, asilimia 53 ya wanafunzi wa darasa la tatu katika jimbo lote la Marekani walifikia viwango vya ujuzi, ikilinganishwa na asilimia 35 tu ya wanafunzi wa darasa la nane na asilimia 23 tu ya wanafunzi wa shule ya sekondari. "Hata hivyo, kuna mabadiliko makubwa katika viwango vya maudhui katika hisabati, ""Murphy alisema, akiongeza kuwa wanafunzi wa darasa la 11 hapo awali hawakuchukua tathmini ya jimbo lote." Ilikuwa imewekwa katika darasa la tisa na la kumi. Kwa Kiingereza, kipimo cha ujuzi wa lugha katika jimbo lote kilikuwa kutoka asilimia 55 katika darasa la tano hadi asilimia 48 katika darasa la sita. Hata hivyo, utendaji ulitofautiana sana kati ya wilaya na shule. Takriban asilimia 96 ya wanafunzi walichukua mtihani huo katika jimbo lote, wakifikia kiwango cha asilimia 95 kilichowekwa na serikali ya shirikisho. Hata hivyo, kiwango cha ushiriki kilipungua katika darasa la kumi na moja, na karibu asilimia 90 tu ya wanafunzi walichukua mtihani. Miongoni mwa wilaya 19 za shule za jimbo hilo, tatu - Christina, New Castle County VoTech na Polytech - pia hazikufikia kiwango cha ushiriki. Haijulikani ni nini, ikiwa kuna athari yoyote ambayo itakuwa na mfumo wa elimu wa Delaware. """Tunawasiliana na Wizara ya Elimu ya Marekani kuhusu athari za mpango huu,"" alisema Murphy, ambaye alibainisha kuwa wilaya mbili za votech zote ni shule za sekondari na kwamba viwango vyao vya ushiriki vinaonyesha tu wanafunzi wa darasa la kumi na moja." "Hiyo itakuwa mazungumzo ya kuendelea". Mnamo Julai, Markell alikataa muswada unaoruhusu wanafunzi wa shule za umma za Delaware kuchagua kutoka kwa vipimo vya jimbo na wilaya bila athari. Sheria hiyo ililenga hasa tathmini ya Smarter Balanced, ambayo imekabiliwa na washirika wa sheria na chama cha walimu wa serikali. Markell alisema wakati huo kuruhusu wanafunzi kuchagua nje inaweza marginalize wanafunzi wenye mahitaji ya juu, kutishia mamilioni ya dola katika ufadhili wa shirikisho na kudhoofisha ushindani wa kiuchumi wa Delaware. Serikali ya Uingereza imekubali kuchelewesha matumizi ya Smarter Balanced Test kwa ajili ya tathmini ya walimu kwa miaka miwili ijayo. "Kiasi cha uaminifu ni sana katika utaratibu hapa", Markell alisema katika kutolewa kwa matokeo ya Smarter Balanced. "Maafisa wa serikali wanasema familia za wanafunzi hao watapata matokeo ya mitihani kwa barua katika wiki chache zijazo.""" Haki za uchapaji © Associated Press. Haki zote zimehifadhiwa. Vifaa hivi haviwezi kuchapishwa, kutangazwa, kuandikwa upya au kusambazwa tena.