Parents Want Tougher Test Standards Delayed ‘We Cannot Simply Apply Pressure Without Teaching The Proper Skills’

Parents have plenty of questions about the state’s new assessment tests, and a group of them from Finch Elementary School say they’re not getting the answers.

Mostly, they’re wondering what will happen to students in fourth, seventh and 10th grades who fail the test. They particularly want to know because more than half the fourth graders from around the state failed when they took a trial run of the tests last spring.

The tests in reading, writing, communication and math are mandatory for fourth graders starting this spring.

The seventh-grade students will take a trial test at the same time.

“We can not simply apply pressure without teaching the proper skills,” said David Bray, a parent at Finch Elementary.

Bray and others are printing up fliers and trying to gather 1,000 signatures to send to the state’s Commission on Student Learning. Their goal is to convince the state to postpone the tougher standards for several years, allowing teachers time to prepare for the assessment.

Past tests asked students to pencil in the correct multiple-choice bubble. Now, students must also explain how they reached answers. The test’s main purposes are to show teachers what topics children need help with and to measure a district’s performance.

Most teachers and parents agree that high standards are a good idea, but some say children aren’t yet ready for the new methods.

“Remember long division?” said Karen Cloninger, a sixth-grade teacher at Finch. “OK, you may be able to do it, but then try to explain it.”

Spokane’s District 81 is currently creating guidelines for passing students from grade to grade. Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Cynthia Lambarth said the assessment tests will not be used as a factor in those decisions. But parents fear it could be in the future.

Colleen Lippert, a parent working on the Finch petition drive, said slow learners and students with test anxiety might normally be good students but have problems on the assessment tests.

Finch Elementary Principal Mary Seeman said the test is a better tool than previous multiple choice tests, but she understands concerns about the difficulty of the test.

“If I had a young child going through the system, I’d want some of these answers, too,” Seeman said.

The push for tougher standards passed the Legislature in 1993. The state’s Commission on Student Learning then developed tests for fourth, seventh and 10th graders. By 2001, 10th graders will be required by the state to pass the test in order to graduate.

To some veterans of last spring’s fourth-grade tests, the change was no problem.

“It was pretty easy,” said fifth grader Kaila Evenoff. “It doesn’t put pressure on us because our grades don’t go lower. They’re just seeing what we know.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Test question Here’s a sample question from the state’s new assessment test for fourth-grade mathematics. “Dan baked some cookies. Sam took half of the cookies. Later, Lisa took half of the cookies that were left. When Dan came home, he saw only three cookies. Tell how you could figure out how many cookies Dan baked altogether. Explain your thinking using words, numbers or pictures.”