ISATs Increasing Drop-Out Rate?
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Graduation is quickly approaching. For the seniors of 2008, this event signifies entry into the real world, freedom, and endless possibilities. For the administrators at School District 91, however, this is the first year of students whose graduation will be relying on their ISAT scores. My mother, a teacher in an elementary school, and I were discussing the upcoming graduation when she asked a question that hadn’t ever crossed my mind before. “Do you think there will be any seniors that won’t graduate because they couldn’t pass the ISATs?” After a short consideration, I answered with the most logical response I could. “Probably not, if something like a silly test was keeping them from graduation, they’d probably just drop out.” I had initially meant for this to be humorous, but the more I thought about it, the more realistic the idea became.
Earlier this year I had been considering how ridiculous it was for someone to drop out of high school when they had only 3 months left, and yet I had witnessed at least 10 of my peers do exactly that. Could this possibly be one of the new reasons for teenagers on the verge of graduating to randomly drop out?
For those who aren’t completely known in the area of local high schools, the ISATs (Idaho Standardized Achievement Test) are a multiple choice test that kids take twice a year (fall and spring) for the subjects of math, English, language, and science. They are taken on a computer and are supposed to tell if teachers are keeping with curriculum, but there is really no way to know what questions the ISATs will ask. Also, the same test is given to every student. Therefore, a senior taking calculus will receive the same test as a senior taking Algebra I. Once you’re a Sophomore, you don’t have to take the test again after you pass it (a passing score depends on the subject), but every time you fail you have to take a special ISAT class instead of one of the electives you have chosen. This class must be taken every time you fair, so if you fail each time, you could be taking up to 8 ISAT classes instead of electives a year (though this is amazingly uncommon).
This situation made me wonder, if I were a senior and I couldn’t graduate because I couldn’t pass some stupid test, would I really bother to work in classes in order to pass them? No! I would determine that it would be more worthwhile to drop out and get my GED, that way I could still enter college with my peers. I student could be passing all their classes, but fail one of these tests and be barred from graduation.
Please know that I am not at all blaming ISATs for every dropout, but I have noticed an increase in dropouts this year. Could these tests be a reason for a student to give up? If so, how can we fix this and make it that all deserving students will be able to walk with the rest of their class?
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Comments
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0 The ISAT is given at grade level. A ninth grade student is given questions from ninth grade curriculum. A senior is given 12th grade curriculum questions. If a senior taking Calculus is getting Algebra 1 questions, I hope they aren’t complaining. But a Freshman will not usually get Calculus questions. The Fall test is adaptive. If a particular grade level student is answering their questions correctly, they may get a certain number of questions from the next grade above. As long as they get them correct, they get a higher score, but if they miss them, there is no penalty and the test returns to their grade level. There are a core set of questions that never leave their grade level. (My understanding is the Spring test is all at grade level, but don’t make me swear to it.) Science ISAT’s are currently given to only a few grades, not all of them.
‘Should I bother to work in classes in order to pass them?’ You stated “No!” That reasoning just doesn’t make sense to me.
If you couldn’t graduate because you couldn’t pass “the stupid test,” is it the fault of the test or did it merely expose the student’s lack of studying? If I failed driver’s education, is it the fault of the “stupid test?” If I fail to pass the Idaho Bar exam or a State medical exam to be a doctor, is it because they were “stupid tests?” A diploma or license is awarded when a person has demonstrated a certain level of competency. Wasn’t that the goal of the class in the first place? To acquire a competent level of skill in a general/particular field?
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0 0 I can see both sides on this. I think what music_girl was getting at are timeless test-taking issues, things like is the test valid (is it testing what it really is supposed to test), are the answers accurate (’A’ may be correct but without context, ‘B’ is just as correct).
There is also the whole slew of physical issues. These include test-taking anxiety, if the room is not air-conditioned, if the person next to them is allowed to listen to an iPod and you are distracted by the loud music, if the test-taker did not get good sleep or breakfast before, etc.
I have not paid attention to the standardized test scene for awhile, but it seems every test gets nailed for at least a few of these issues, even the SAT and ACT tests.
Anyone know if Idaho provides ISAT questions and correct answers afterwards for professional review? Do they provide statistics on the frequency of missed questions, and do they throw out a question if particular questions have a high frequency of wrong answers?
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0 0 Since music_girl titled her article ‘ISAT’s Increasing Drop-Out Rate?’, I understood it to be a test specific article. She also specifically refers to it seven times in her article.
As far as physical issues, students are not supposed to listen to music while taking tests. Distractions are removed as much as possible. The environment is made as conducive to testing as possible, and the students are instructed to have a good meal and be well-rested prior to taking the tests; if the student is ill or exhibits anxiety that would impact their test significantly, they are generally allowed to test at a different time.
http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/saa/index.asp is the the State of Idaho website. You can access the Spring 2008 ISAT Tour FAQ or whatever else you want to check out concerning ISATs.
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0 0 I would like to say that, though the isats are inconvenient, they are completely fair. A student is not required to pass 12th grade curriculum at any time, and needs only be proficient at the 10th grade level. If a student plans to graduate with a highschool degree, a general knowledge of nonspecific 10th grade information should be necessary. Furthermore, the students are given SIX opportunites to pass a test with similar concepts. I have taken ISATs since fourth grade, and believe being advanced is the most inconvenient thing. They are required to advance further and further to higher and higher grade levels until they finally miss a question. This can be time consuming for someone scoring nearly perfect on every test.
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I understand the good intentions behind the ISAT test, because it’s been established that in a lot of areas, US students are graduating without even proficiency levels in many basic subjects.
It feels they are underserved, our school system didn’t do right by them. The US is a laughingstock amongst the modern countries whose students outclass us in too many important areas.
That being said, there are many students who will go through the school system and NOT be destined to be brain surgeons, rocket scientists, and law enforcement agents.
There are many students who are good people, but don’t want to write policy, don’t want to carry a gun and hunt down criminals, they don’t want to map the terrain and they’re certainly not interested in Fermat’s last theorem.
Well, I want someone who is willing to cook my burger when I go to a fast food place. I want someone who is happy cleaning my hotel room when I travel. I am glad to find people who are driving a truck carrying fuel to my town, who are mowing the lawns in my city parks, who are keeping the stores stocked with merchandise so I can shop.
And having proficiency in test subjects, being competitive on an international basis, would not necessarily be needed in those areas. But the idea that we all have a place, we all do our time and learn how to navigate the educational system, that’s a useful skill to teach a child even if that child is not meant for upper management.
If a child doesn’t have the skills to pass the ISAT, and school is made more onerous as a result, I can see them choosing to drop out. Boy, there’s a life lesson, right there.