States Confront Definition of ‘Proficient’ as They Set the Bar for Lots of New Tests

As states add reading and math exams in previously untested grades to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act, they will have to determine the level of performance considered “proficient.”

In particular, states must figure out how to make their achievement standards on the new tests mesh with those in the grades already being tested, so that the progression of growth expectations across grade levels is smooth. Otherwise, 4th graders who are rated proficient in mathematics one year may suddenly score below that level the next simply because the standard, or cut point, has shifted.

“I think it’s causing some difficulties,” Robert L. Linn, a professor of education emeritus at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said of state efforts...