Interesting article from The Buffalo News, July 8, by Mary B. Pasciak, Flawed tests distort sharp rise in scores by students

Over the last few years, student performance has soared on math and English tests across New York State, with the most dramatic improvements evident in urban districts such as Buffalo, leading many to celebrate the progress.

But now, state education officials say the progress may not have been quite what it seemed.

Weaknesses in the state's testing and scoring systems over the last several years created what Education Commissioner David M. Steiner equates to systemic "grade inflation."

Students who score at the "proficient" level in middle school math, for instance, stand only a 1-in-3 chance of doing well enough in high school to succeed in college math, he said.

"This is about telling the truth about how far we are from where we need to be for kids to succeed in college," said John B. King Jr., senior deputy education commissioner.

Steiner and King are calling for a host of reforms to the state's testing system, as well as the eventual adoption of a statewide curriculum.
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