Carl Cohn weighs in on Smarter Balanced assessments

Smarter Balanced assessments September 18 , 2015

Leading Change

Making California School Reform Work

Like many others, as I looked through the new Smarter Balanced test results last week, I was struck anew by the persistent achievement gaps that the results underscore.

For an expert perspective on the data, I asked Carl Cohn to weigh in. Cohn was just appointed as the first director of the California Collaborative on Educational Excellence, the new statewide agency charged with coming up with ways to support schools to implement the goals set in their Local Control and Accountability Plans.

In this issue, you'll also find links to EdSource's new database comparing district results, as well as further analysis on the Smarter Balanced test results from two of our veteran reporters.

Thanks for reading! Your feedback would be most welcome.

Erin Brownfield, Editor

Carl Cohn

Q-and-A with Carl Cohn

Carl Cohn is the new executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. Formerly, Cohn was a member of the California State Board of Education and a superintendent in Long Beach and San Diego.

What was your first reaction to the Smarter Balanced test results? Any surprises?

My initial reaction was that no one is going to accuse California of cheating...LOL! I was not surprised by the results. Having served on the board of a major testing company for almost a decade, I know that, when test developers say that they're constructing an assessment that is substantially harder, they actually mean it and the results will show it. The fact that we need to better serve those who have historically been under served in our public schools should be a no-brainer.

Read Leading Change's full interview with Cohn, including his advice for school leaders, at this link.

Crunching the numbers

Click here for EdSource's new Smarter Balanced database which allows you to:

Compare district test scores and sort by various criteria
Drill down into demographic comparisons to better understand the achievement gap
Access user-friendly visual data presentations and an easy-to-use search function.

Test scores to be only one factor in measuring school progress

The state is in the middle of building a new accountability system to replace the Academic Performance Index. But that effort is still evolving, and with m any key decisions by the State Board of Education and the Legislature still to come, officials are clearer about the role that student scores on Smarter Balanced tests won't play in the new accountability system than on how significant a factor they will play.

Read more about what John Fensterwald uncovered about the emerging vision for the new accountability system.

Can we compare California's test scores with other states' results?

Comparing California scores on Smarter Balanced tests aligned with the Common Core standards to those in other states isn't a straightforward process. California students' proficiency rates are among the lowest when compared to other states that have released Smarter Balanced assessment scores so far. But, EdSource Today reporter Sarah Tully writes, "drawing conclusions may be difficult because California's student population is much larger and its schools enroll more English learners and low-income students." Click here to read more.

Common Core Watch

Melinda Deslatte of The Associated Press reports on the ongoing legal battle over Common Core in Louisiana, "Judge rejects Jindal injunction request in Common Core suit."
Slate asked four teachers around the country to reflect on how Common Core has changed their classroom practice: "It's not like a switch that you can flick on overnight: Four teachers on adapting to Common Core."
Andy Sullivan of Reuters reports that Common Core standards increasingly look like they are here to stay: "U.S. candidates slam Common Core, but education standards take root."

EdSource | [email protected] | 510-433-0421 | www.edsource.org