The state sent out midcycle reports to schools last week to give them an idea of where they are headed. But the Education Department still is in the early stages of determining exactly which schools will be reviewed this year. Test scores will be a major component of any evaluation, but the state will take other factors, such as improvement plans, into account. The third administration of the test will be given this spring. State officials have set the passing rate for this year at 220, or one point above failing.
Students take exams in math, science, English and history.
The overall test, which can take upward of 17 hours over a few weeks, will be spread out over additional grades and subjects. Under the school and district accountability program, scores from the first round of testing will be used as the base line to compare to the 1999 and 2000 scores. Juliane Dow, who heads the state Education Department's accountability program, told the Board of Education last week that schools that have the most difficulties now might benefit from being flagged sooner rather than later. In its analysis, the Union-News first considered how many students in the grade level failed the exam, going by the two lowest categories on the department's accountability program. The lowest group covers schools where over 60 percent of students failed the exam.