May 12th, 2008 @ 8:51am
by Associated Press

Dozens of schools in the Tucson area had student failure rates on state tests that were greater than the rate of students who failed corresponding classes in English and math, according to a newspaper's investigation.

The gaps discovered during a 10-month analysis by the Arizona Daily Star of millions of student grades indicate grade inflation, experts said. Grade inflation occurs when students receive higher grades than their performance merited.

The Star investigation also showed that students at those schools were being moved on to the next grade level yearly even when they didn't earn it. The analysis showed this practice, known as social promotion, is prevalent throughout Tucson.

The findings worry educators, civic leaders and economists.

Local business leaders said that if students aren't learning what they're supposed to, the end result will be an unprepared and unskilled work force that could hinder companies and prompt businesses eyeing Tucson as a home to look elsewhere, further weakening the economy.

Critics of AIMS, or Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, and other standards-based benchmarks have assailed "high-stakes testing" as an ineffective way to gauge student performance. Tucson educators say there cannot be complete alignment between AIMS and letter grades and dismiss the notion that grade inflation explains the difference.

"The scope of the AIMS test is one shot that's supposed to canvass your understanding of subject matter," said TUSD Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer. "It has nowhere near the depth of day-to-day curriculum that the teacher is talking about."

Pfeuffer and other critics also say AIMS standards are too low and the test has become easier in recent years.

But with the appearance of inflation, grades fall under suspicion.

"This goes to the problem: How do we know what fair classroom grades look like?" said Jay Greene, head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas.

Student performance on AIMS falls into four categories. The newspaper combined the failing categories, which measure the number of students who ``approached'' or "fell far below" standards.

The investigation focused on eighth and 10th grade and compared the number of students who failed one or more courses in English or math with how well that class did on AIMS. Letter grades for English were compared with AIMS reading and writing results.



http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=834283