Raising educational standards is never easy. On one side are those who believe no additional standards are necessary. Students should simply have to pass the coursework at their local high school before walking across the stage to receive their diploma.
On the other side, there are those like the Examiner’s editorial board who believe that a one-size High School Assessment (HSA) program should fit all children, including those with learning disabilities. Neither view helps boost student achievement in Maryland.
The Maryland State Board of Education has taken a stand for strengthening standards for all students, across-the-board. We have seen too many students graduate from high school without bedrock knowledge in basic subjects.
These assessments, developed not by bureaucrats but by Maryland teachers and vetted by psychometric experts, test students in algebra, biology, English and government. All students in the state deserve an education that provides them with basic knowledge before being thrust into a highly competitive world.
At the same time, educational research tells us that not all students are able to express their understanding of material in the same way. For students who have failed a test several times, even after taking advantage of tutoring and other interventions, an alternative method of assessment is necessary. That alternative must be tied to the same learning goals as the HSAs.
For those students — including some with learning disabilities and English Language Learners — the Bridge Plan for Academic Validation has been developed. Drawing on information gathered in two separate comprehensive studies on the HSA, the Bridge Plan institutes a rigorous option that will allow students to prove their knowledge of the material by a different vehicle.
Project modules — directly aligned to state standards — will be developed by Maryland content educators, and will offer a menu of choices for each knowledge area in all four subjects. Each student will complete project modules relating to the HSA segments in which he or she is deficient.
The number and type of project modules will be custom-selected for students participating in the Bridge Plan based on their performance on the HSAs. A specific timeline for completion of the project will be established by school staff. Work will be reviewed by local and state experts.
To suggest that these projects are an easier path betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of the Bridge Plan (a detailed description of the plan is available at www.HSAexam.org). For example, a student who has failed the biology exam might design, conduct and evaluate an investigation to determine the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis.
The investigation would involve a controlled experiment and include research to support conclusions. Such a project will take weeks, if not months, to successfully complete. The State Board’s goal, as always, is to build a deep understanding of important material. It is not to dilute the standard in order to improve graduation rates.
Maryland’s HSA program is a critical step in strengthening our state’s educational program. Will this mean that students who pass the HSA requirement are primed for immediate success in college or the workplace?
Certainly not: These are end-of-course assessments tied to courses that students traditionally take in their freshman and sophomore years. But unless students can master this material, they will have no chance in higher education or in today’s economy. For example, they need to understand basic algebra in order to understand the upper-level algebra now part of the SAT exams.
The HSAs are by no means Maryland’s only educational reform effort. Simultaneously, our state has worked to increase the percentage of students involved in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate programs.
The effort has been remarkably successful. Maryland is among the nation’s leaders in both increasing participation in the AP program, and the success rate on the AP assessments.
The Maryland High School Assessment program is designed to raise the floor for high school graduates. It is not a ceiling and was never intended to be. But as a steady stream of college officials and business leaders told the State Board, if we don’t strengthen our educational foundation, our students will have trouble building a future.
Nancy S. Grasmick is Maryland’s State Superintendent of Schools.
