The education funding and policy bill passed June 12 by state lawmakers in a special legislative session complicated the state's testing system.
The legislation includes: a mandatory analysis of how computer glitches affected online achievement tests, a reduction in required tests and a cap on testing time, a cut to the state's testing budget and a new mandatory writing test for students.
In July, the Human Resources Research Organization, or HumRRO, will report to the Minnesota Department of Education whether repeated computer glitches and crashes students experienced this spring while taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, or MCAs, hurt their scores. The education bill stipulated the study and gives districts the option of setting scores aside if they were hurt by problems with provider Pearson's system.
Many educators, including leaders of state teachers union Education Minnesota, encouraged lawmakers to allow districts to set aside results from flawed online tests. Standardized test supporters pushed for a wait-and-see approach before making any decisions.
Brenda Cassellius, state education commissioner, has said repeatedly she would wait for the scores to be analyzed before making any decisions about the impact of the online problems.
It is unlikely the state will withhold test results they are required to report to the U.S. Department of Education under the No Child Left Behind Law.
"We have to, under federal law, report those students' test scores," said Kevin McHenry, assistant education commissioner. "There are potential financial penalties that could be involved if we don't."
The state uses MCA scores in its Multiple Measurement Rating accountability system that grades schools on students' achievement, academic growth, graduation rate and schools' success closing the achievement gap between poor and minority students and their peers.
Districts could choose to disregard problematic scores from their teacher evaluations, McHenry said. Those systems are under the local control of school districts.
HumRRO did a similar statistical analysis in 2013 after students experienced similar computer problems with online tests provided by the American Institutes for Research, or AIR. That study found the problems did not have a significant impact on students' test results.
Minnesota has an ongoing contract with HumRRO for statistical analysis and other services. Since 2010, the state has paid HumRRO nearly $2 million for its services.
State education officials are also weighing whether to seek financial penalties from Pearson for the repeated testing problems. If Pearson doesn't live up to its $38 million contract the state can withhold funds or seek other remedies.
"We are working with our attorneys to determine what steps we can take to hold them accountable," McHenry said.
Earlier this year, Gov. Mark Dayton said he wanted to substantially reduce the number of mandatory standardized tests students take. He proposed eliminating about one-third of the federal and state tests.
Minnesota never formally asked to reduce federal tests, but officials from the U.S. Department of Education were quick to tell state leaders they would not support eliminating tests given annually for federal accountability.
The testing reduction state lawmakers were able to agree on is a mixed bag.
The education bill eliminates several college readiness tests but requires districts pay for students to take the ACT.
The state's testing budget is cut by $19 million, meaning the Department of Education will have to discontinue offering MCA practice tests and some other exams to students. At the same time, the legislation requires state leaders to develop a new high school-level writing exam.
It also caps the amount of time students can spend testing, but districts can get a waiver from those requirements. In general, elementary school testing is limited to 10 hours per year and middle and high school students are limited to 11 hours of test taking.
Gary Amoroso, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, said the cap on testing time has brought the most questions from his organization's members. District leaders have long had local control over the other tests students take that help teachers modify academic instruction.
"Districts are wondering why, on one hand, they are required to do the MCAs, which we understand, and on the other hand, they are given a restriction from the state that could impede their ability to do other assessments," Amoroso said. "Isn't that an intrusion on local decisions?"
Amoroso added that all districts want to spend a limited amount of classroom time on assessments and want the tests to provide trustworthy results.
"Any assessment program should provide useful information that can inform instruction so teachers and staff can make decisions to help children achieve the greatest academic gains," he said.
©2015 the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
