To the Administrator Addressed:
Several State Board members and school district administrators have expressed an interest in the TAAS test recently and in an effort to respond to their questions, I have spent the last few weeks learning about the testing process. My review of the testing process has convinced me of the integrity and fairness of the accountability system. I focused on how the TAAS is built and scored and I discovered some things about this year's TAAS that make it different from last year's. I wanted to bring these differences to your attention
Before going into the difference in this year's test, I should point out that it is based on all the same objectives as previous years' tests. The same reading, writing and math TAAS objectives adopted by the Board in 1988 and covered by every TAAS test since that time will be covered this year. For example, the first objective in reading comprehension has remained, "The student will determine the meaning of words in a variety of written texts," and the first math objective remains, "The student will demonstrate an understanding of number concepts." In other words the framework of the test remains unchanged. However, my purpose here is to explain how and why this year's test is different from previous tests and what impact that will have on the accountability system.
The differences grow out of the fact that this test is built using TEKS based items rather than Essential Elements (EE) based items. The Board, when it adopted the TEKS implementation schedule in September of 1997, directed the agency to align the TAAS to the TEKS. The 1998-99 school year was the year the TEKS were required to be implemented by school districts. It was also the first year that TEKS items were incorporated into the test, along with the EE items. This year we transition to a test which is completely TEKS based. I would point out that while the TEKS predate SB 103, the shift to a TEKS based TAAS clearly meets the requirements for a skills and knowledge based test required by the bill.
Like the TEKS themselves, this test is more rigorous. However, a child who would have passed last year's test will also pass this year's test. This is because in January 1994 the Board, to ensure a fair test for students from one year to the next, adopted its Five Year Plan for Assessment and Procedures for Setting Standards. This plan required the agency to equate the level of difficulty of the TAAS from one year to the next. In other words, the TAAS will be no more or less difficult for a child to pass in one year than another. A fourth grader, for example, could pass any fourth grade TAAS, regardless of the year it was developed, with the same level of skill and knowledge. The process of equating is used by ACT, SAT and nearly all states with testing programs like Texas'. Equating is the only way to have a fair assessment with results that can be compared from year to year or form to form.
The Board adopted the Texas Learning Index or TLI as the mechanism ensuring a fair test from year to year. A TLI of 70 was set by the Board as the passing standard. A TLI of 70 is equated from year to year, however the raw score associated with the equated TLI varies, depending on the difficulty of the test. Each year the raw scores may vary. This is normal. Indeed, raw scores vary on all tests that have multiple forms which are equated. However, I want to be very clear that this year's raw scores will be lower than last year's due to the rigor of the test. That is also normal and does not affect the validity of the test. These scores will be equated for difficulty in the same manner used since 1994.
Since a child who could have passed last year's test will also pass this year's, there will be no change from the perspective of a school district for purposes of accountability. This "level playing field" is the result of the Board's Five Year Plan for Assessment and Procedures for Setting Standards. This plan has preserved the stability of the system, as required by statute.
I share all this with you now because there seems to be confusion in the field due to the shift from an EE based test to a TEKS based. Districts and students will, as I have explained, experience no negative effects as a result of this shift because of the system safeguards for fairness.
All of us work to ensure the continued success of our students, and a stable accountability system is one of our best tools in that effort. I hope that this letter helps allay any concerns you may have had regarding this year's TAAS administration. Thank you for the work you do for the children of Texas.
Sincerely,
Jim Nelson
Commissioner of Education