State Set an Unclear Bar for Math, Schools Chief Says

Tests Exceeded Level Of Instruction, He Says

Schools chief Edgar B. Hatrick III said he expressed his concerns to the state superintendent. (By Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)

The low scores of Loudoun County's sixth- and seventh-graders on new state math tests may stem partly from the state's failure to set clear expectations about middle school math instruction, Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III said last week.

Although the district's performance on the Standards of Learning tests exceeded state averages, nine Loudoun schools did not meet benchmarks set by the federal No Child Left Behind law. Last year, five county schools fell short.

Seven of the nine schools that did not make the grade this year were middle schools, and the low math scores of their sixth- and seventh-graders were a key factor. It was the first year that SOL reading and math tests were administered in the fourth, sixth and seventh grades.

Hatrick, noting that sixth- and seventh-graders statewide had problems with the math exam, said the test assumed a higher level of math instruction in those grades than most students had received. The exam seemed to assume that all students were on track to take Algebra I in the eighth grade, Hatrick said.

"The premise that we are preparing all students to be able to take Algebra I in eighth grade -- it may be a good goal or objective to have, but it's not a goal that I'm aware that the state has been preparing for," he said.

He also pointed out that many students had scored well as fifth-graders but not as sixth-graders, which could mean that there were errors in the way the new tests were designed or scored. The passing rate on the math exam was 85 percent for Loudoun's fifth-graders last year but 58 percent for this year's sixth-graders.

Hatrick contacted Billy K. Cannaday Jr., the state superintendent of public instruction, to express his concerns. Cannaday said last week that he had reviewed the tests and found nothing wrong with the questions or the scoring, but the Virginia Department of Education has appointed a committee to study the issue.

Loudoun school officials said they would look into whether changes should be made in the curriculum.

About 50 percent of Loudoun students are prepared to take Algebra I in the eighth grade, said Sharon D. Ackerman, the district's assistant superintendent for instruction. She said the district plans to establish a goal on what that percentage should be in the future, basing the decision in part on a study of other school systems.

Hatrick said he is not sure that taking Algebra I in the last year of middle school is appropriate for every student.

Loudoun was not alone in trying to make sense of disappointing results on the SOL tests. Across Northern Virginia, the number of schools that did not meet the federal benchmarks -- known as adequate yearly progress, or AYP -- increased by a third, from 53 to 71.

In Loudoun, the schools that did not make AYP were Catoctin Elementary, Harper Park Middle, Mercer Middle, J. Lupton Simpson Middle, River Bend Middle, Seneca Ridge Middle, Smart's Mill Middle, Sterling Middle and Loudoun County High.