Another Example of John White Withholding Vital Data: No Common Core Test Results Available for a Long Time

When I was a kid growing up on a farm, we were always suspicious when a chicken set on eggs too long; that those eggs were probably rotten!

This relates to data needed by the members of the Curriculum Standards Review Committee to enable them to properly do their job of revising curriculum standards as mandated by the Legislature.

At the first meeting of the Curriculum Standards Review committee, several members of the committee proposed my suggestion that the committee receive an item analysis of the PARCC-like tests given this Spring. This was the first time that Common Core standards were tested on all of our 3 through 8th grade students. This item analysis would have been vital to help identify problem areas in the standards. No other comparable measure of the appropriateness of the standards for Louisiana students exists. The Chairperson of the committee, Dr Sanford, agreed to request both an item analysis and the raw cut scores for each such test.

The following is the response she got from the Louisiana Department of Education:

Dr Sanford states:
"I requested the results of the Spring accountability testing to be shared with the committee.  This is the official response which I have been given."

"As has been communicated in previous communications<http://www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/classroom-support-toolbox/district-support-toolbox/district-planning>, the department is not able to release PARCC results until late fall/early winter. At this time PARCC has not released any data to states for release. A series of PARCC states have released data but they are not PARCC results. Those states (Massachusetts and New York) required students to take both the PARCC test and their state assessments. The results they have released are their local state assessment results. All PARCC states will have access to results at the same time and will release at that time. For a reminder of all release dates and resources for last year's current results and this year's assessment resources please review previous LDE communications<http://www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/classroom-support-toolbox/district-support-toolbox/district-planning>." 

Dr Sanford goes on to state the following:
"While it would have been very useful for each committee member to review this data, obviously this is not going to be available to the committee.  Therefore, it will be important as we do this work to remember that the standards which are adopted by BESE, hopefully as a result of our work, will be the basis of future assessment measures.  The standards should drive the development of assessment questions in the future."   

My concern is this: In a public BESE meeting John White assured the Board and the public that Louisiana was no longer part of the PARCC consortium and that we would be contracting with Data Recognition Corporation to produce our own version of a PARCC-like test to test the Common Core standards in math and English/language arts. Why then are we still tied to the PARCC consortium and cannot get the results of the test that our taxpayers have paid for? No results until late Fall or early Winter? Winter starts December 22. 

Why is it that all educators in our school systems are accountable but not the State Superintendent?