NorthwestJuly 13, 2003

Study concludes important exam doesn't require complex reasoning skills

Associated Press

BOISE -- A proposed high-school graduation test does not call for students to use complex reasoning skills, according to an independent study.

Idaho Schools Superintendent Marilyn Howard replies the Idaho Standards Achievement Test is not expected to completely address state guidelines,

but she does not foresee major changes because of the study.

Students may be expected to pass the test by 2005 to graduate from high school.

It is not completely aligned with Idaho's achievement standards for kindergarten through 12th grade because it does not test for higher-order thinking, said James Leffler of Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

Such thinking includes the ability to use strategies such as developing a plan or sequence of steps to draw a conclusion, or being able to combine and synthesize complex ideas.

Leffler presented his group's findings to Idaho educators last week.

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The Idaho exam will eventually be used to satisfy federal requirements in President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.

"The state will use the information to see where improvements can be made, but we're not going to throw the test out," Howard said. "I don't want us to use this as a springboard to create a longer, more complex test."

Idaho Education Association President Kathy Phelan said the results of the study point out the risk of using the test as a basis for graduation.

"You cannot expect students to be accountable for something they have not been taught," she said. "It should not be the sole condition for students to be able to graduate."

Leffler said the study is not meant to pass value judgments but for guidance for the state as it further refines it.

Leffler said a major limitation of the test is its multiple-choice format.

"Part of the reason is that the standards are more complex than what the multiple-choice test can test," he said.

Howard said the multiple-choice format is a compromise because of its efficiency and to meet the assessment needs of a variety of Idaho students, including special education students and those with limited English skills.

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