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Maryland High School Assessment: In this paper, which was published in The Banneker Banner, I discuss the findings of my research into the new Maryland High School Assessments. I also discuss how these tests relate to No Child Left Behind and the Maryland School Assessments, as well as possible implications for teachers and students. I hope you enjoy reading it and find it informative. Introduction Basic Information About HSA and Math Portion MSA and AYP First Reactions and Impressions Possible Effects on Teachers No Child Left Behind Final Thoughts Works Cited Updates on NCLB and the HSA
One of the many responsibilities of a high school is to prepare its
students for the real world and provide for them the skills necessary to succeed
in life. In order to help make sure
they accomplish this, as well as other goals, schools make use of standardized
tests. These examinations help
assure administrators, teachers, and parents that students are meeting
requirements in subjects that will best prepare them for life after public
school. Since the 1980’s, the
Maryland Functional Writing and Functional Mathematics Tests have been used to
collect this information. However,
administrators are now realizing that students need higher-level skills than
previous generations and thus, have begun to raise academic standards to give
students a foundation for succeeding in college and the workplace.
In grades three, five, and eight, the Maryland School Performance
Assessment Program (MSPAP) has helped to raise performance levels in accordance
with The Maryland Content Standards. However,
educators realized that the Maryland Functional Tests were not preparing
students for post-secondary education and the work force well enough.
The Maryland High School Assessments (HSA) were then created in order to
continue to raise performance levels throughout high school as MSPAP did through
elementary and middle schools. These
assessments were created by a combination of teachers, parents, business
leaders, community members, and professional organizations (Grasmick 3).
These tests are referred to as “end of course” examinations because
they are taken as students complete the appropriate classes.
The HSA is comprised of short-essay, long-essay, and multiple choice
questions that reflect Maryland’s Core Learning Goals (Grasmick 1). Currently, the tests are assessing students in English I,
government, algebra/data analysis, geometry, and biology.
I believe that the High School Assessment will help lead to an
improvement in education in our high schools because pressure from the test will
motivate teachers and administrators to take more active roles in helping
students both learn and improve throughout their high school career.
After becoming a graduation requirement, the High School Assessment
program will be one of the focal points in the lives of high-school students,
teachers, and administrators. Students
entering as freshmen in 2003 will be the first to have the HSA as a requirement
for a diploma (Grasmick 2). Throughout
the 2001 and 2002 academic years, practice HSA examinations have been given to
high school students in order to generate baseline data.
Although students will start by taking five assessments, over the next
few years more tests will be added to the HSA.
Elaine Crawford, Mathematics Facilitator for the High School Assessment
(Maryland State Department of Education), informed me through an e-mail that
eventually a total of twelve examinations, only ten of which (excluding two
science classes) must be passed, will be incorporated into the HSA in three
phases. The first phase includes
English 1, algebra/data analysis, geometry (also considered a phase two test,
meaning it is credited in both phases), biology, and government; phase two
encompasses English 2, earth/space science, chemistry, biology, and American
history; the final phase will incorporate English 3 and world history.
Not only will this require effort from the students, but also the
teachers of the subjects tested will have to modify their teaching so that all
topics are covered for the test. The
next question is, “What happens if a student fails?”
If someone fails, that individual will be able to take the test over as
often as necessary, but only after taking a remedial course.
The current plan by school systems is to offer remediation courses for
failed tests during the summer at their own expense (Grasmick 2). The mathematics portion of the High School Assessment will cover the topics of algebra, geometry, and data analysis. For each topic, goals and expectations are established by the Maryland State Department of Education. Demonstrating the ability to investigate, interpret, and communicate solutions to mathematical and real-world problems was the goal established for the algebra portion of the test. To achieve this goal, expectations have been set for the students to demonstrate. The first expectation of algebra is that students understand patterns and functional relationships. Two ways they can accomplish this are by being able to recognize functional patterns and by describing non-linear graphs in terms of maxima, minima, domain, etc. (“All Mathematics Goals, Expectations and Indicators” 1). Expectation two calls for the interpretation of real-world situations using appropriate mathematical language and technology. For students, this means that students must determine equations for lines, solve linear equations, and use matrices effectively to answer mathematical and real-world scenarios (“All Mathematics Goals, Expectations and Indicators” 2).
The overall geometry goal that the HSA will assess for is the ability of
the student to solve and explain mathematical and real-world problems using
geometric models.
The last area the HSA will test is data analysis and probability, the
goal of which is to have students apply probability and statistical methods when
interpreting and communicating data. The
first expectation is that students learn to collect, organize, and analyze data.
Variance, mean, and standard deviation are concepts which students will
familiarize themselves for this expectation.
In addition, it is expected that students be able to apply this
information to real-world scenarios. Using
lines and curves of best fit to make predictions about data will give students
the skills necessary to meet this goal (“All Mathematics Goals, Expectations
and Indicators” 4).
As a secondary mathematics education major, it is in my opinion that the
recently enacted Maryland State Assessment (MSA) will team with the HSA to
promote improvement in our secondary schools, but, the overall effect might
place additional strain on classroom teachers.
The MSA will test students in grade 10 in reading, while the HSA will
continue to test students in mathematics, science, history, and government.
High school teachers will be put under the same type of pressure as that
of elementary teachers. Not only must they work with students to pass the HSA, but
also the MSA now requires that the schools reach an Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
target (Maryland State Department of Education Bulletin 4).
This goal will be set as proof of progress by a school.
What makes it even more difficult for schools is that all students must
show some indication of progress over time.
If schools fail to achieve the AYP, they will face having to provide, at
their own expense, tutoring services and the opportunity for parents to transfer
their children to better performing schools.
Not only will MSA scores affect this policy, but also HSA scores will
certainly influence parents’ opinions about the education their children are
getting. Thus, schools face
pressure from both tests to make yearly progress.
This puts much pressure not only on administrators, but also teachers who
must work hard to help their students.
First-year teachers getting adjusted to their profession and establishing
themselves as educators will also be under pressure to teach effectively to
satisfy the requirements of these tests. As
a future mathematics educator, I would be apprehensive about being assigned the
task of teaching an HSA course during my first year because I would feel
extremely pressured to see that my students pass.
Another concern of mine is that my success rate at the end of the year
would be a factor in my performance evaluation.
Even with veteran teachers, this pressure can lead to increased burnout
rates. It is well known that there
already is a teacher shortage problem in Maryland, and added pressure would
certainly not make this situation any better.
Therefore, it is up to administrators to assist teachers in preparing
students for these examinations. Setting
clear guidelines as to what will be expected of them, reducing non-classroom
related duties, and assigning veteran teachers to classes that will be assessed
by the HSA or MSA are three possible ways to help ease the pressure.
Also, the state can help schools to get started with these two new
programs by setting realistic but challenging AYP’s and goals.
The reaction from many principals is that the tests show potential, but
may have a slow start. One of the complaints is that students will not take the
tests seriously until they become a graduation requirement. This means that baseline data that schools will use to
generate passing scores might be inaccurate (Bowie 1B).
This does not surprise me, because very few students at any level would
worry about a test that has no immediate bearing on his or her future.
One possible solution to this problem is to give the tests to the middle
school students who are on track to take the first and second HSA's.
Knowing that they will be taking the same basic test in the future to
determine if they graduate will encourage students to take the test seriously
when they take the practice test, and later when they take the actual test. Students need and have a right to be informed on how much
impact the test will have, and according to Nathaniel Gibson, Principal of
Arundel High School, they have not (Bowie 1B).
Another complaint is that schools have not had enough time to prepare for
the examinations, and that even the most reputable high schools will probably
have low scores because administering the HSA has been rushed (Bowie 5B).
Aside from possible problems in the beginning, preparing for the HSA has
shown positive results. Many school
districts have begun to rethink everything from schedules to curriculum.
The HSA has brought more attention to the core subjects from teachers and
administrators and is already changing the way these subjects are structured. At Long Reach High School in Columbia, Maryland, the new
assessments are, “driving our curriculum.
They are driving our structure. They
are driving our instructional strategy” according to principal David Bruzga.
Additionally, Baltimore County Public School System is adding to its
mathematics requirements and providing students with courses to give them more
practice in algebra (Bowie 5B).
As a former high school student, I am aware of how excess stress on
teachers can negatively affect students. A
teacher who is burned out from long hours, extra duties, and pressure from HSA
goals will probably not instruct a class to the best of his or her ability.
Any teacher who cannot give full attention to the class, cannot expect
the students to do their best. Also,
if a student were to fall behind or perform poorly in an HSA class, a
“stressed out” teacher may not handle the situation appropriately and could
put extra pressure on the student to learn the material.
As a 2000 high school graduate, I can safely say that when a teacher is
stressed out, there is less of a desire to learn because students may get yelled
at or even insulted for not understanding a concept or paying attention.
Certainly from a student’s perspective, teacher burnout is neither
productive nor enjoyable.
Although the HSA and other assessments will add additional responsibility
to teachers, they will also create a strong incentive for school improvement.
Work-related stress comes with the territory of teaching, and although
burnout is always possible, as a future teacher, it is up to me to handle this
stress in a productive manner to motivate me and my students.
By channeling my stress into classroom energy, I can encourage my
students to learn the material by showing my enthusiasm for their learning.
I vividly remember those teachers whose enthusiasm for their subjects
permeated throughout the entire class.
In the case of the summer remedial courses, an opportunity is presented
to new teachers who want a taste of school life and teaching HSA courses before
the start of the actual academic year. Although
most administrators would prefer experienced teachers in remedial classes, the
situation still presents an excellent learning opportunity for novice teachers. I would welcome the opportunity to ease into the teaching
waters by instructing or assisting a remedial summer course. For example, if I finish student teaching in the spring
semester, such an experience would give me an immediate opportunity to apply the
knowledge I learned in college while it is fresh in my mind.
The extra experience could help me or any other novice teacher in
becoming a more effective classroom teacher of mathematics.
I feel strongly that the guidelines of the HSA and MSA are productive
because they require teachers and administrators to see that all students both
improve and pass in all subjects. This
will bring needed attention to underachieving students to help them succeed.
The need to pass these tests will open more opportunities for such
programs as peer tutoring. Promoting
student interaction can help educators address issues such as respect and
communication among students.
Finally, because improvement must be shown for the MSA and HSA, the
assessments will discourage the idea of “teaching to the tests.”
Having taken many similar assessments, I know personally that teaching to
the tests not only damages my education, but also taints my opinion of that
particular test. As a former high
school student, I know that teaching to the tests also shows that teachers have
little confidence in my ability. I
would feel that my teacher is giving me the answers because I do not have the
ability to learn the material that is tested.
As a result, I would feel that I had already lost to the test. Furthermore, teaching to the test does nothing to improve
students’ knowledge because they are taught only how to solve specific
problems. Students are not taught
the reasoning behind the operations they are performing and thus cannot apply
their knowledge to problems other than ones they have solved.
For example, if students are taught how to solve an equation of the form
Ax + By = C but, are not taught that such an equation can also be
written as y = mx + b because that specific equation is what is being tested,
then the students might be confused when they eventually do come across an
equation in slope-intercept form. As
a mathematics tutor, I see this scenario many times with students who can recite
what the teacher said in class about a specific problem, but are puzzled when I
ask them why the teacher’s method works or if I introduce them to similar
method. By discouraging “teaching
to the tests,” teachers will promote conceptual learning, which students can
use to help develop procedural learning.
While attending the 2002 Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics
conference, I was able to learn about a problem that President Bush’s No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) Act poses to the HSA. In
an interview with Donna Watts, Coordinator of Mathematics for the State of
Maryland, I was able to ask questions I had about standardized tests or anything
related to mathematics education in Maryland.
This legislation calls for newer standardized tests and improvement
across all demographics of students. More
importantly however, is the section that requires that only “highly
qualified” teachers be hired to instruct in schools.
The term “highly qualified” means that if a teacher is certified in
mathematics then he or she can only instruct in mathematics.
I learned from Donna Watts that starting on September 1, 2002, Title 1
schools can only hire “highly qualified” teachers and by the 2005-2006
school year, all teachers in all schools are to follow this provision.
At first, this may seem like a logical piece of legislation, but this
stipulation on teachers has two problems. Donna
Watts gave an example of a teacher she knew who was certified in biology, but
because of teacher shortages, had to teach physics, and for the past 15 years he
has done a wonderful job. It is a
well-known fact that there is a great teacher shortage in Maryland and
throughout the country, especially in mathematics, and in 2002 only about 60
secondary mathematics teachers graduated from Maryland colleges and
universities.
The example of the biology teacher is certainly not uncommon across the
state, and NCLB will diminish an already small selection of teachers.
The intentions of the “highly qualified” provision are positive, but,
I feel this stipulation will hurt schools.
Although administrators certainly want the appropriate teachers for their
core subjects, if they are desperately searching for teachers, it is unrealistic
to expect them to limit their searches. Many
schools already are forced to hire teachers to instruct in an area they are not
certified, and although NCLB’s provision seems helpful, it will limit the
options that administrators have to fill teaching positions, especially in
critical shortage areas. Being
forced to rely on fewer teachers to do the same job will put more pressure on
teachers and could lead to larger class sizes.
The provisions of NCLB certainly have the potential to help students, but
it is important to remember one of the first rules that doctors adhere to,
“first, do no harm.” Perhaps if
schools had more funding and more incentives to attract potential teachers, then
the provisions of NCLB would be beneficial to students and schools.
However, given the current situation of public schools, this legislation
will only present a hurdle for the HSA to overcome.
The second problem created by President Bush’s act relates directly to
the HSA. As I mentioned before,
many districts have to place teachers in subjects in which they are not
certified because teacher shortage is such a problem.
Since the HSA requires mathematics courses to be passed, a skilled
mathematics teacher is obviously needed. But
what if schools simply cannot find enough mathematics teachers to teach the
necessary classes? Do they ignore
the legislation and place an English or biology teacher in the class?
If they do, a student could fail the algebra examination, for instance,
and blame the school for not providing a highly qualified teacher.
Since they violated a federal regulation, schools in such a situation
could face the loss of funding or other consequences such as lawsuits from
parents. Furthermore, inservice
teachers of mathematics could face increased class sizes because they would be
the only teachers qualified to teach HSA (and non-HSA) classes.
I do not feel that the intentions of NCLB are bad or not admirable, but
they are certainly not realistic given the current conditions in education.
The High School Assessment Program has strong potential to improve the
education of students in Maryland. What
the HSA and other tests seem to address is placing more pressure on teachers not
only to meet educational standards, but also to improve overall performance.
Furthermore, the combination of the HSA and MSA ensures that students at
all levels are given attention and motivation to succeed.
Having taken the Maryland Functional Mathematics and Reading Tests, I am
glad that the HSA will be replacing these examinations.
Although I was required to pass these tests, I never felt any motivation
from teachers to do my best on these tests, but simply to pass.
The examinations themselves were not particularly difficult; they seemed
only to present a challenge to those students who were already having major
problems in mathematics and reading. I feel that the HSA will face challenges in its early stages with legislation from NCLB as well as teacher shortages, but will ultimately be completely assimilated into the curricula of Maryland’s public schools. What is especially redeeming about the HSA is that it tests in many more areas that the Functional Tests. I believe that the added responsibility on teachers will ultimately benefit students. These tests should do a good job in promoting higher academic standards among all students, as well as the improvement of schools and education throughout the State of Maryland. As a future mathematics teacher, I look forward to using the High School Assessment to promote my students’ learning and help them become more mathematically confident and powerful. “All
Mathematics Goals, Expectations and Indicators.” Maryland State Department of
Education. September
2001. <http://www.mdk12.org/scripts/coregoals.plx?>. Bowie,
Liz. “High Schools Tensely Await
Tests’ Results.” The Sun
1 Dec. 2002: Blt Crawford,
Elaine. “RE: High School
Assessment.” E-mail to the
author. 15 Nov. 2002. Grasmick, Nancy S.
Letter from the State Superintendent to Parents of 7th and
8th
Graders. September
2001 <http://www.mdk12.org/mspp/high_school/what_is/
letter_superintendent.html>. Maryland State Department of Education Bulletin.
School and Community Outreach
Office. New
Maryland School Assessment Announced. Baltimore:
MSDE, 2002.
Updates on HSA and NCLB In late November of 2003 I gave a presentation at Frostburg State University about No Child Left Behind and the High School Assessments. This Powerpoint presentation gives the main points of my research and of my personal opinions. I will try to keep updating this page when I learn more. If you are interested in finding out information on your own, check out www.edweek.com, www.mdk12.org, and www.mdreportcard.org for more information. Powerpoint update on NCLB and HSA
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©Greg Stiffler, 2005 Last updated by Greg Stiffler on Tuesday January 24, 2006 |