The following article was selected from the Internet Edition of the Chicago Tribune. To visit the site, point your browser to http://chicagotribune.com/. ----------- Chicago Tribune Article Forwarding---------------- Article forwarded by: Michael Lach Return e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Article URL: http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/chicago/article/0,2669,ART-51340,FF.html ---Forwarded article---------------- State's new test no holiday for many By Stephanie Banchero<BR>and Tom McCann Classes will be canceled for at least a day this week for thousands of Illinois high school freshmen, sophomores and seniors so that juniors can take the state's new standardized exam under the stringent conditions the test company demands. Illinois' 130,000 public high school juniors will sit for a rigorous exam Wednesday and Thursday that merges the state's Prairie State Achievement Exam with the traditional ACT college entrance exam. Unlike other annual state tests, however, the ACT requires rigid testing protocols, such as silencing of ringing bells and slamming lockers, one proctor for every 25 students and a distance of 3 feet between desks. The nit-picky procedures have forced dozens of school districts to call off classes. Even at districts able to isolate test-taking juniors to their own floors or campuses, officials say they will have to suspend instruction for multigrade-level courses while the juniors are out taking tests. In a time when improving public schools and boosting academic achievement have become a national obsession, the idea of curtailing instruction, even for a day, might seem anathema to the cause. Educators, parents and teachers argue that the Prairie State-ACT test mess is an illustration of how high-stakes testing is taking over the educational process and pushing aside learning and instruction. "This is a perfect example of what professional educators resent about everyone being so test-obsessed," said Supt. Griff Powell of Niles Township High School District 219, which will cancel classes for two days. "I support testing and accountability, but to lose instructional time purely for testing makes no sense." Parents and students are not any happier. "I am majorly ticked off," said Judy Meyer of Winnetka, who has a freshman son at New Trier High School. "If my son has to miss two days of school, it better be for something critically important. Any day off from school is a bad thing, but in the middle of the week is even worse." 1 student's view Mike Ibarra, a junior at Andrew High School in Tinley Park, said he's sick of giving up class instruction time to prepare for the looming state exam. Ibarra, like many of his counterparts across the state, has already taken the ACT exam. "All of our science and English classes were taken up last week to make us practice for the exam," said the 17-year old. "Then the two days next week, it's a lot of time and work for nothing. I'm not going to try too hard." Last year, Illinois became the first and only state to merge the ACT college entrance exam with the state's standardized high school exam. State officials boasted that the new $7.5 million exam would "open doors" for students who might not otherwise have taken the challenging ACT, or even considered going to college. And much is riding on the new testing package, as test results will appear on transcripts, and Illinois colleges and universities have agreed to consider the results as an element in determining undergraduate admissions and placement decisions. The mandatory tests include the traditional ACT exam in English, math, reading and science, which juniors will take for 3� hours Wednesday. It also includes the state-developed Prairie State writing, science and social science exams, which students will take for 4� hours Thursday. Some districts, such as New Trier, have canceled classes Wednesday and Thursday. Others, such as Chicago, have called off classes only for Wednesday and, if individual schools choose, for a half day Thursday. Others, such as Arlington Heights District 214, are excusing seniors only. Vallas a supporter Chicago Public Schools Chief Paul Vallas supports the state's new high school testing program, saying it provides an important tool for tracking student achievement. "Sure it's an inconvenience and sure we will miss the instruction time, but we think there are some tremendous benefits," Vallas said. "What we'd like is for the state to add two testing days to the juniors' schedule and leave our regular instruction calendar alone." The Illinois State Board of Education did not sign the five-year contract with ACT officials until November, well after local school districts had set their school calendars. In mid-November, state board officials sent a letter to superintendents across the state informing them of the new testing program. And confusion still reigns over how schools should handle the testing protocol, with some principals saying they thought they were not allowed to cancel classes for two days and others thinking they had to. ACT rules Under the ACT contract, local school districts must duplicate the testing conditions employed at ACT exam centers across the country. Those requirements include standards as nebulous as good lighting and comfortable temperature. But they also mandate that test takers be isolated from regular school activities and that schools have one test supervisor in every room, as well as one proctor for every 25 students. School officials across the region have scrambled to accommodate. Tony Moriarty, principal at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, said officials in his school spent the last two months figuring out how to shuffle 2,600 students and 160 teachers between two buildings to meet testing requirements. "I can't believe someone at the state level didn't have the foresight to consider what we are up against," he said. Officials in Joliet Township High School District 204 also did not want to cancel classes for freshmen, sophomores and seniors, fearing juniors would ditch the test day if they were the only ones in school. They will use the school's cafeteria as a testing center. Supt. Jim Clark and a dozen other administrators must serve as test proctors because teachers will be busy with other classes. Aside from the scheduling inconveniences, local educators say they are worried that the two-day, eight-hour testing program is far too demanding for students and will translate into poor test results—results that state officials will use to identify and punish failing schools. "We know our students are bright, but we question whether they have the stamina to maintain focus during nearly nine hours of testing," complained Mike Riggle, Glenbrook North High School's principal. "And then to turn around and use these results as a yardstick to measure whether schools are succeeding or not, well, I question that approach." State shares concerns Kim Knauer, a spokeswoman for the Illinois State Board of Education, said officials there are sensitive to the concerns of parents and local educators. She said the state has worked with school districts to help ease the burden and plans to meet with a group of area superintendents, after the testing days, to work out wrinkles. She also said state board officials have not yet decided whether this year's exam will be used to place high schools on the state's academic warning list. "No one seems to be talking about the value of these tests for the students," Knauer said. "This test gives students an idea of where they are in relation to the state learning goals. It also will give students information that will help them make decisions for their life after high school." Brad Lau is one student who supports this year's testing program. "I think it's a great idea. It's an excellent learning tool," said the New Trier sophomore. "As long as they get rid of it by next year." -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
