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The rest of the ‘CATS’ story

By Richard Innes and Jim Waters

Front-page headlines have proclaimed and editorial pages have praised the improvement shown by students on the latest Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) scores that are part of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS).

Judging strictly by the numbers, it is evident the latest results indicate improvement.  More than 70 percent of the schools in Kentucky raised their scores, with noticeable progress in reading and math.

However, new information concerning the level of difficulty on the tests suggests that statewide jubilation about these latest scores is misguided. An examination of KCCT questions compared with those from assessments in other states makes us doubt the credibility of the KCCT results.

Something unusual occurred between the final year of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) results in 1998 and the first year of CATS in 1999. The number of Kentucky’s fourth-grade students deemed “proficient” in science rose 412 percent, while the number of eighth-graders considered proficient readers rose 333 percent. These one-year step-ups suggest that the state’s new testing standards might be less demanding.

Further questions arise when the latest KCCT results are compared to another test taken by Kentucky students, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  The 2000 NAEP results declared 17 percent of Kentucky fourth-grade students proficient in math, while KCCT indicated 31 percent of fifth-graders were proficient in math. (The NAEP’s math test is not given to fifth-graders, and the KCCT math test is not given to fourth-grade students; thus this is the closest comparison possible.) The gap widens when determining reading capabilities among fourth-graders. In 2002, the KCCT reported 60 percent of the state’s fourth-grade students were proficient readers, double that of the number deemed proficient by NAEP.

What further taints these “improvements” in test scores is the relative lack of rigor of KCCT’s questions. Several sample math and science questions contained in a new report by the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) strongly imply that Kentucky uses tests that rank below the grade level of other states. (http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/lrcpubs/RR312.pdf)

For example, one KCCT test question asks Kentucky’s fifth-graders to determine the value of 37 nickels. Distinguishing between different coins and adding them up is required of third-graders in Virginia and California.

Is it fair to assume that the sample questions released by the Kentucky Department of Education are at least representative of the entire KCCT test?  If so, it is possible that KCCT’s entire math test for fifth-graders could be taken – and passed – by Virginia’s third-graders. What does this suggest about the “improvements” in the KCCT’s test scores?

Our concerns are not limited solely to math testing. The two sample science questions released by the LRC on tests taken by Kentucky’s seventh-graders were no more challenging than material presented to fourth-graders in Virginia and fifth-graders in California. One of KCCT’s science questions asks, “In which part of a plant does photosynthesis take place?” Virginia’s fourth-grade science standards stipulate that students “investigate and understand basic plant anatomy and life processes” and identify photosynthesis as one of the key elements of this comprehension.

It also appears that the gaps in testing requirements are getting wider at higher grade levels. Kentucky’s 11^th-graders are asked a question that requires understanding the geometry of squares, which is a concept expected of Virginia’s seventh-grade students.

These comparisons lead us to conclude that the latest KCCT testing regimen provides an insufficient foundation for determining educational progress across the Commonwealth.

Kentuckians dream of developing a world-class education system they can be proud of, and one that helps our future workers prosper. But wishing it to happen will not by itself bring about needed changes.

If basketball proficiency for all students were the objective, should coaches lower the rim or reduce the size of the ball? Players would score more points in practice but have no chance to win at another team’s gym!

Kentucky currently spends nearly 60 percent of its budget on public education. This is simply too much to pay for a testing system that inflates scores and provides less than rigorous examinations for our students whose futures depend upon a solid education.

-         Richard Innes is an education analyst with the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions.

-         Jim Waters is the Director of Policy and Communications for the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions.

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