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Arkansas education officials pledge to help English-learners
The Arkansas Department of Education has submitted a plan to federal education officials that outlines how it will improve the state’s testing system by the end of the 2006-2007 school year.
A month ago, the U.S. Department of Education said Arkansas’ assessment tests for public school students are too easy and missing fundamental components. The state was required to submit an improvement plan by the end of July, or be subject to financial penalties.
One issue at the center of the debate over improved testing in Arkansas and many other states is better assessments of students with limited English proficiency. Julie Thompson with the Arkansas Department of Education says the plan they have submitted pledges to do away with the current system of testing, which has those students complete something called a portfolio assessment rather than take the Benchmark exam that other students are taking.
“It wasn’t comparable to the Benchmark. It was another way to assess how students were learning. I think there was some validity to it, but you couldn’t say ‘this equals this score on the Benchmark’,” says Thompson.
About 19 other states have also been scolded for not properly testing English-learners. That is why, at the end of the month, officials from those states are invited to come to Washington to learn more about the issue in exchange for waiving any fines for this year. Thompson says Arkansas education officials will be there.
Source : publicbroadcasting.net & kuar.org