Reeling From Test Results, N.Va. Educators Regroup

"High stakes definitely get people to take it seriously," Goldschmidt said. "Just because you're not a Title I school doesn't mean you shouldn't be demonstrating achievement or growth over time."

Meanwhile, many Northern Virginia school officials were scrutinizing their middle school math results yesterday.

Fairfax County Superintendent Jack D. Dale said his staff will examine whether teachers need to spend more time on some concepts or even get to topics earlier in the year so students have more time to practice before tests are given in the spring. "The first round of a test shows that what we're teaching is not aligned with what we're testing," Dale said.

David Van Vleet, the middle school math specialist in Fairfax, said teachers will be urged to do less lecturing and make classes more "student-centered." He said teachers will push students to summarize concepts in their own words.

In Arlington, Patricia Robertson, the school system's math supervisor, said teachers may be asked to administer quarterly exams so concepts learned earlier are refreshed. She said teachers who handle the same courses would be encouraged to work together more.

But Robertson also said the math tests and test-taking conditions need more analysis. She wondered, for instance, how students who took the state tests online fared in comparison with those who did not.

"Teachers are shocked, especially because we've always done okay in the eighth grade, but I am working cautiously with them as they plan," she said. "I don't want to take this as all their responsibility. I still think we have to look at the test."

Staff writer Maria Glod contributed to this report.