Assessment News in Brief

Ill. Raises Cut Scores on State Tests

By Andrew Ujifusa — February 05, 2013 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Illinois state school board has voted to raise cutoff scores on its math and reading assessments.

The board voted last month after state schools Superintendent Christopher Koch made a proposal to raise the bar for performance on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, or ISAT. He told the board that raising the cutoff scores for ISAT, which is administered to students in grades 3-8, would help schools prepare for the upcoming assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards, set to be given for the first time in 2014-15.

Last year, 79 percent of students in all grades tested scored proficient in reading on the ISAT, while 86 percent scored proficient in math. But Mr. Koch pointed out that if the tougher cutoff scores he proposed were used on last year’s results, only 60 percent would have been proficient in reading, and 59 percent would have been proficient in math.

A version of this article appeared in the February 06, 2013 edition of Education Week as Ill. Raises Cut Scores on State Tests

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Assessment Download 6 Ways to Curb Grade-Change Requests From Students and Parents (DOWNLOADABLE)
No one likes dealing with grade-change requests. Here are some tips to help teachers avoid them altogether.
1 min read
Close up of a schoolgirl showing her C- grade on a test at elementary school.
E+/Getty Images
Assessment Opinion Our Grading System Was Setting Students Up to Fail—Until This Change
Our first reaction to standards-based grading was despair. Then, slowly, things began to change.
Matthew Ebert
5 min read
A student climbs up stairs as letter grades fall around her. In the background a teacher is grading a test.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Assessment In Case You Missed It: How Schools Are Measuring Student Success
Explore stories about grading practices, what truly reflects student achievement, and more.
5 min read
Grading and assessment SR
Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Assessment Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Standardized Testing & Improving Student Outcomes?
Answer 7 questions about improving standardized testing and student outcomes.