DOE to spend millions of dollars on new local assessments, starting in preK?

The DOE released a new set of RFP’s to testing companies to develop yet another set of “local assessments” to be given starting next year. [Apparently the 408 assessments bid out in July did not result in any contracts.] The bids are due April 23.  The announcement says that 24 contracts could result, for God knows how many millions of dollars.   

It is unclear how many local assessments will result from all these new contracts, but probably hundreds over three years. There are 23 testing “components” in all; with each component involving a "grade span" and a content area, and 40 items in each test, probably to be taken on computers, which will involve yet more millions to buy.    

The DOE is pitching this new set of RFP’s to provide new sets of  “diagnostic” and “interim” assessments, but the only required part of the RFP is “end of course” exams, which is very difficult to argue is “diagnostic” since there will be varying amounts of summer learning loss for different students.  “Diagnostic” for what?  Next year’s exams?

In all, the RFP’s arouse suspicion that the DOE’s intention is to use them as more high-stakes tests, most probably as the “locally developed” portion of the new statewide teacher evaluation system, though the UFT has not agreed to this.  They can certainly be used for high-stakes decision-making as regards school closures and progress reports.  And there is little doubt that they will take hours more away from instruction, real learning, and important subjects like art, music etc.

The RFPs ask for ”end of course” tests, to be taken in all grades 3-12  in literacy and math, as well as science in grades 6-8.  Mandatory “task assessments” will be required for literacy and math in these same grades, plus preK-2^nd grade as well.  We have never had standardized tests before in grades preK to 2^nd grade, as far as I know.

 

“Optional” services to be bid out include end-of-course tests in literacy and math in 2^nd grade; should include social studies and science texts as well, and the RFP docs also report that the DOE intends to implement separate assessments in social studies, starting in middle school and perhaps in other grades as well.

The DOE adds that “End of Course Diagnostic assessments are machine scorable [sic] assessments that align with the PARCC end of course assessments in content, design and structure. These assessments, given once a year, are intended to provide students and teachers with formative, CCLS-aligned data in advance of the PARCC assessments they are aligned to.”  

PARCC is the multi-state consortium, including New York state, currently devising new exams to be aligned with the Common Core and implemented over the next few years.  The makers of these PARCC tests are developing at least nine new tests per year per grade.

If you have time, take a look at the RFP docs, which I have posted, and let us know what else you see there.  In any case, please leave your comments below if you think that millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars and education funds should be spent on even more tests, when our classrooms are being starved of resources, class sizes in the early grades are the largest in over a decade, and many schools are spending months on tests and test prep as it is. 

RFPR0911Section3Appendices [pdf], RFPR0911 [pdf], AppendixGPricing-Required-Services RFP R0911 [xcl], AppendixGPricing-Optional-ServicesRFP R0911 [xcl]

AppendixE2-Program-Plan-Narrative RFP R0911 [doc]

AppendixE1-Proposal RFP R0911 [doc]

More testing madness: DOE bidding out 408 new standardized exams for our kids

I recently examined the contracts being bid out by DOE for new “local assessments” that they intend to use to evaluate teacher performance.  Though back in May, this plan was reported in NY Times as “more than a dozen new standardized tests,” it really is far more.  

Looking at the “performance based” and “computer adaptive” assessments, each to be given in at least four subjects twice a year,  a typical elementary, middle and high school student will now be asked to take at least 16 more standardized exams annually – not counting the state tests or the Regents.

Here is the RFP spreadsheet for the performance-based tests and  for the computer adaptive tests. When added together (see chart below), the total number of tests DOE is ordering appears to be a startling 408; or 136 new exams per year for  three years. 

The RFP is also supposed to include online professional development for teachers, principals, school-based assessment coordinators and central staff, planning meetings and other associated expenses, printing costs, and “audit scoring” for one third of all students for the “performance based assessments.”   

What it doesn’t include, of course, is the cost of wiring all classrooms and providing laptops to all students for the computer based tests, which the DOE intends to spend nearly a billion dollars on next year.

And while the NY Times article reported that DOE said these local assessments  are supposed to be aligned with the new Common Core standards, this is nowhere stated in the RFP, and it is hard to see given such a rushed job, they could be.   

Moreover, in April, in testimony before the City Council, UFT president Michael Mulgrew said that he didn’t understand why the DOE was buying new tests, given that the UFT had not approved them and the city needs that approval to use them in teacher evaluations.  According to high-level sources, the UFT has still not approved the use of these assessments.

While the  NYT article said that the city wants to introduce the tests in only 100 schools next academic year, 500 schools the following year and nearly all 1,700 schools by 2013-14, the RFP asks for exams for the same number of students each year -- 390,000 per subject in 3^rd- 8th grades, and 65,000 for each high school subject.

DOE officials told the NY Times that they expect these exams will require about 10 percent of the $256 million they are going to receive through the "Race to the Top" funds.

The original deadline for bids was in May, but this was recently extended to July 13. At some point, we will probably find out how much money these new exams will cost, at a time when school budgets are being brutally cut back, and class sizes are rising. 

Not to mention how the administration and scoring of these tests will cost our kids the loss of even more precious learning time. All for the purpose of grading teachers by means of unreliable test scores.  And what happens when the federal money runs out?  It is likely then that city taxpayers will be expected to cover the bill.

RFP Class	COMPONENT 1 (Performance Based task Assessments):
#1	PBTA, ELA, Grades 3-8 (six different tests, one for each grade – given twice annually,  for three years =36 tests
#2	PBTA, Math, Grades 3-8 (same reasoning as above=36 tests)
#3	PBTA, Science, Grades 3-8  (same as above= 36 tests )
#4	PBTA, Social Studies, Grades 3-8 (same as above = 36 tests)
#5	PBTA, ELA, Grades 9-12 (four different tests, twice a year for 3 years= 24 tests)
#6	PBTA, Math, Grades 9-12 (three subjects, twice a yr for 3 yrs =18 tests)
#7	PBTA, Science, Grades 9-12(four different subjects, twice a yr for three years =24 tests)
#8	PBTA, Social Studies, Grades 9-12(five diff. subjects, twice a yr for 3 years =30 tests)
RFP Class	COMPONENT 2 (Computer Adaptive Tests):
#9	CAT, ELA, Grades 3-8 (36 as above)
#10	CAT, Math, Grades 3-8 (36 as above)
#11	CAT, Science, Grades 3-8 (36 as above)
#12	CAT, Social Studies, Grades 3-8 (36 as above)
#13	CAT, ELA, Grades 9-12 (24 tests)
#14	CAT, Math, Grades 9-12 (18 tests)
#15	CAT, Science, Grades 9-12(24 tests)
#16	CAT, Social Studies, Grades 9-12(30 tests)