Are you really passing a test when you get only 37 percent of the answers right?
Texas ninth-graders only had to correctly answer 37 percent of their Biology I questions this year to pass the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam in the subject. Similarly, they had to get just 37 percent of their questions right to pass the Algebra I test.
As a result of those low passing standards, known as “cut scores” in education lingo, 87 percent of ninth-graders passed the Biology I test. And 83 percent of them passed the Algebra I exam.
Texas, of course, is not the only state to arbitrarily set cut scores so too many students don’t fail. And states face difficulties in determining the passing benchmarks for new achievement exams. The STAAR test, for example, is more rigorous than the old Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) exam. Students are being asked to climb over a higher bar.
Also, the percentage of questions students must answer correctly will grow more demanding each year. In Algebra I, for instance, they must correctly answer 63 percent of the questions by 2016.
Nevertheless, it is troubling that the passing benchmarks for the new end-of-course exams given to ninth-graders this year had to be set so low. And the standards were not only low in Algebra I and Biology I. As the accompanying chart shows, they were minimal in some key areas, such as reading and chemistry. In fact, the highest passing threshold was only 65 percent, and that was in writing.
The reality is that Texas had many ninth-graders passing exams in important courses only because they had to answer few questions correctly. As Houston school Superintendent Terry Grier said, the results create a false sense of security.
The results also should create a sense of urgency for the reforms that education change-agents such as new Dallas Superintendent Mike Miles are pursuing. Miles wants stronger principals, more effective classroom instruction and engaged parents across the Dallas school district. Research shows each of those can improve student performance.
The scores likewise should prompt Texas legislators next year to pick up where retiring state Sen. Florence Shapiro left off in the 2011 session. The Plano Republican, who headed the Senate Education Committee, tried to pass a smart bill to get more middle schools intervening early with struggling students. The bill died in the House. Next year, lawmakers should pass that bill so students in those vulnerable middle school years are ready for high school.
There are no magic bullets in education. But with reforms like these, the state shouldn’t have to resort to setting a passing rate at 37 percent.
Ninth-grade STAAR results
Pct. passing Pct. of answers they had to get right
English I reading 68 54
Algebra I 83 37
English I writing 55 65
Biology I 87 37
English II reading 61 48
English II writing 4661
Chemistry 54 40
Texas Education Agency