The Palm Beach Post reports on a study that looked at what influence failing schools’ focus on high-stakes test improvement has on other low-stakes tests. When a school is deemed failing (such as getting an F here in Florida) due to reading and math test results, the staff focuses on those subjects in an effort to bring the school grade up. With so much focus on those all-important tested subjects, do other subjects suffer from neglect? The study says no.
The Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute took a look at Florida fifth graders’ FCAT scores in the 2002-2003 school year. Reading and math FCAT results counted toward schools’ grades whereas science didn’t at that time. (Science scores do count now, though.) The study tracked failing schools’ attempts to improve. Since science didn’t really matter, was that subject brushed aside? The study found that science scores actually improved. As a matter of fact, those failed schools wound up making better gains in science than passed schools. Why?
David Figlio, a professor at the University of Florida, said the focus on reading and math might have spilled over to other subjects as well. If a student can read and do math well, they have a better chance at correctly solving a science problem.
Another possible reason is that after receiving a failing grade a school might institute school-wide reforms, which in turn could have helped science scores, researchers said.
The study can be found here.
