States Revise the Meaning Of 'Proficient'

By David J. Hoff

New ESEA A number of states appear to be easing their standards for what it means to be "proficient" in reading and math because of pressures to comply with a new federal law requiring states to make sure all students are proficient on state tests in those subjects within 12 years.

In Louisiana, for instance, students will be considered proficient for purposes of the federal law when they score at the "basic" achievement level on their state's assessment. Connecticut schoolchildren will be deemed proficient even if they fall shy of the state's performance goals in reading and mathematics. And Colorado students who score in the "partially proficient" level on their state test will be judged proficient.

Such semantic changes will be common, testing experts predict, as states that set ambitious goals for student performance are now required under the federal law to identify schools as failing if students...