Vol. 40, No. 4

January 13, 2006

State Board of Education Revises
Scoring Standards for MAP Exams

The State Board of Education has approved new standards for the expanded Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests which should result in more students scoring at the "proficient" and "advanced" levels this year.

The board unanimously approved the new test-scoring guidelines yesterday (Jan. 12) during its regular meeting in Jefferson City. Commissioner of Education D. Kent King recommended that the board adopt the new standards which were developed last month by committees of educators and citizens.

This is the first time the state has revamped the standards of the MAP program since the tests became mandatory for all public schools in 1998.

Commissioner King called the new standards "both rigorous and reasonable."

"We could have set the bar lower so that it would be easier for schools to appear to be successful, but low standards are meaningless and do not benefit students. With the advice and consent of educators and citizens from across the state, I think we are setting academic expectations that are realistic and grounded in what children need to learn at each grade level," King said.

Revision of the state’s academic testing program was required at this time by a combination of federal and state laws.

The federal "No Child Left Behind" law requires all states to have grade-level tests in math and reading/communication arts no later than this year. Some states already have programs that test most grades every year. Before this year, though, the MAP program has only tested math in grades 4, 8 and 10. Reading and communication arts were tested in grades 3, 7 and 11.

Beginning this spring, both reading and math will be tested in every grade, 3 through 8. Math will be tested again in grade 10; reading in grade 11.

In addition, a state law enacted in 2004 required state education officials to align the MAP exams more closely with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Under this law, Missouri’s academic standards may not exceed those used with the NAEP tests.

Under federal law, every state must give the NAEP exams in reading and math to a sample of students every other year.

The revised MAP testing program will have four "achievement levels" to describe student performance, instead of the five levels used with the previous MAP tests. The four MAP levels are now the same as those used with the NAEP: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced.

Last month, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education convened more than 100 educators and citizens to review the new MAP exams and recommend the "cut scores" for each level of performance in every grade and subject area.

The committees set cut scores that are expected to result, initially, in about 30-35% of students statewide scoring at the proficient level in math and communication arts in each grade. Approximately 10-15% of all students in the state would be expected to score at the "advanced" level in each subject and grade.

Dr. Pam Hedgpeth, superintendent of the Republic School District, and Curtis Wren, a middle school math teacher from the Hazelwood School District, were members of the standard-setting committees that met last month. Both of them participated in the State Board of Education meeting and provided their perspectives on how the committees arrived at their recommended cut scores.

The charts below indicate how students are likely to score on the revised MAP exams. Results from this year’s testing will be known by late August.

chart showing Communication Arts

Percent of Students by Achievement Level:  Communication Arts
Grade
3
4
5
6
7
8
11
Below Basic 10.1 12.5 10.1 11.0 14.9 9.6 12.3
Basic 46.0 42.7 45.2 45.3 41.0 47.7 43.9
Proficient 26.5 29.4 29.0 31.7 31.7 27.3 30.5
Advanced 17.4 15.4 15.7 12.0 12.4 15.4 13.3

chart showing mathematics

Percent of Students by Achievement Level:  Mathematics
Grade
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
Below Basic 11.1 11.6 12.7 13.4 21.4 24.6 27.2
Basic 45.1 44.3 42.9 42.3 34.6 35.7 28.4
Proficient 35.0 32.1 33.4 32.6 32.3 28.2 34.2
Advanced 8.8 12.0 11.0 11.7 11.7 11.5 10.2