VALLEY SCHOOLS Officials question tests' all-inclusive scoring

In East Liverpool, the superintendent agrees that all pupils should be evaluated.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
Howland Schools Superintendent John M. Rubesich is explaining the way state-mandated proficiency testing works.
The Ohio Department of Education says it's OK to give an alternative assessment test to 1 percent of a school district's special-education pupils.
In Howland, that percentage amounts to four children.
In one Howland elementary school, Rubesich said, there are two classrooms that serve 16 pupils with disabilities. Their problems include autism and Down syndrome; some don't speak.
So, the superintendent asks, which four pupils should he choose? The others, he explained, will be expected to sit behind a desk and take the same test as their peers in traditional classrooms.
"It's not realistic, what the state is asking for," Rubesich said. " ... It's totally ridiculous."
Others agree
Rubesich is not alone in his opinion. Superintendents across the state have argued that the way the state is handling proficiency testing among special-education pupils is unfair. In report cards released Tuesday -- reflecting 2002-03 proficiency test data -- schools were rated based on all pupils' scores, including special-education children. Former report cards had excluded the test results of special-education pupil.
One might wonder why Rubesich is making a fuss.
After all, the Howland district is the only one in Trumbull County to receive an "excellent" rating -- the highest of the five ratings doled out by the state -- on its report card. It is one of only seven districts to earn the high rating in the Mahoning-Trumbull-Columbiana area. The rest are in Mahoning County.
Howland not only earned the high rating but it also went up a notch over the "effective" rating on 2001-02 report cards -- no small feat, considering that seven school districts lost ground because of the addition of special-education scores.
Rubesich believes special-education pupils who are destined to fail the tests shouldn't be forced to take them. Further, he added, who knows how the change might affect Howland's report card in future years?
"We're allowing people to make decisions for us who don't have the best interest of school-age children in mind," he said. "I think lawmakers at the state and federal level are [using standardized tests] ... to degrade public education as we know it."
Among the tri-county districts, some of the hardest hit by the inclusion of special-education scores were Sebring, Girard, Southern Local and East Liverpool.
Scores are based on 22 standards/indicators that look at attendance rate, graduation rate and the percentages of fourth-, sixth-, ninth- and 10th-grade pupils who have passed grade-appropriate, state-mandated proficiency tests.
Sebring
In Sebring, the district met seven standards among the entire student body, but met more than twice that many -- 15 -- among the pupils who have no disabilities, as defined by the state. The district of 727 pupils has a disabled population of 23.9 percent.
While the score of 7 could have sent Sebring from its 2001-02 effective rating down two levels to an "academic watch" rating, it was saved by a new standard the state added this year -- a performance index score of up to 120 is calculated by weighing the individual proficiency test performances of each pupil.
Sebring earned an 82.1 -- enough to lift it to a "continuous improvement" rating, the same rating it would have received with credit for meeting 15 indicators.
"What I think that shows us is we're still doing an excellent job of educating our students," said Sebring Superintendent Howard T. Friend. " ... There are some concerns since our main goal on the tests is to get to 100 percent."
He said the high number of special-education pupils matched with the low number of total pupils can have a big effect on the district's score.
In a school district with enrollment in the thousands, an individual pupil would account for only one-half percent or less. But in a class of about 42 pupils -- the size of Sebring's recent graduating class -- each pupil represents more than two percentage points.
"Ten students could make the difference between scoring an 18 or a 15," Friend explained.
Still, he said, he's "not making excuses" and educators are working on a daily basis to evaluate curriculum and revise it as necessary to help improve test scores. Grants have allowed the district to establish a collaboration between special-needs teachers and traditional teachers to help meet the needs of special-education children.
East Liverpool
In East Liverpool, the district went up a level from its 2001-02 "academic emergency" score to "academic watch." However, it would have leap-frogged two levels if only nondisabled scores were considered.
Overall, pupils met five indicators and earned a 72.9 performance index score. With the 11 indicators and 84.2 performance index score earned by nondisabled pupils, the district would have a continuous improvement rating.
"We're working," said Superintendent Douglas T. Hiscox. "We're showing signs of improvement."
Hiscox doesn't have sour grapes over the inclusion of the special-education scores. Of East Liverpool's 3,078 pupils, 18.7 percent have disabilities.
"I think we should be looking at all of our students," he said. "I know there's been concern over including them, but as long as we have the two report cards, we can compare the data."
Other districts
In Girard, the district lost ground -- dropping one ranking and losing four indicator points -- because of addition of special-education scores. The difference means the district falls from an "effective" rating to "continuous improvement."
Southern Local also lost a ranking -- losing five points and falling into "academic watch" -- with its overall scores.
Earned improvement
Nondisabled pupils, as defined by the state, earned a "continuous improvement" ranking.
Besides Girard and Southern, districts that slipped a rating level with the addition of disabled pupils' scores are Champion, which dropped from "excellent" to "effective"; and Brookfield, Maplewood, Southington and Weathersfield, which dropped from "effective" to "continuous improvement."