Report: Georgia accountability test too easy

ATLANTA - A new national report suggests that the tests Georgia uses to meet federal No Child Left Behind standards are too easy.<br> <br> The report shows that Georgia students have an easier time passing the state&#39;s Criterion-Referenced Competency Test than they do the National Assessment of Educational Progress another standardized test often referred to as ``the nation&#39;s report card.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The study was released Thursday by the Education Trust, a nonpartisan advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.<br> <br> ``Georgia standards are far, far off from NAEP, more so than other states,&#39;&#39; said Ross Wiener, policy director for the Education Trust. ``Georgia finds itself close to the bottom of the states in terms of the gap between NAEP and the CRCT.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> For example, 87 percent of Georgia fourth-graders were considered ``proficient&#39;&#39; in reading on the state test but only 26 percent were proficient on the national test.<br> <br> Other states such as Alabama and Mississippi had similar gaps. But in South Carolina, only 36 percent were proficient in reading, according to the state test. On the national test, 26 percent were proficient.<br> <br> ``South Carolina has more rigorous standards and has stuck with them,&#39;&#39; Wiener said.<br> <br> The disparity between state and national tests ``should send a warning signal to educators, policy-makers and the public,&#39;&#39; the Education Trust report says.<br> <br> Officials at the Georgia Department of Education say they will take the national scores into account when revamping the state test.<br> <br> The state is in the process of revising its curriculum, and will gradually change the state test starting this year, said department spokesman Dana Tofig.<br> <br> Georgia education officials also may consider changing so-called ``cut scores&#39;&#39; the number of correct answers needed to pass the CRCT. In past year, third graders could miss more than half the questions on the reading test and still pass.<br> <br> Students in grades three, five and eight must pass the reading portion of the Georgia test to be promoted to the next grade.<br> <br> Students in fifth and eighth grades must also pass math.<br> <br> Results on the CRCT also determine whether schools are sanctioned under No Child Left Behind. Schools that repeatedly fail to meet standards are deemed ``needs-improvement&#39;&#39; schools and may ultimately face sanctions including a state takeover.<br> <br> But large discrepancies exist between states.<br> <br> In Maine, for example, 29 percent of eighth-graders passed their state math test, and 30 percent passed the national test. In Georgia, 69 percent of eighth-graders passed the state math test, and 23 percent passed the national one.<br> <br> ``The big question looming for No Child Left Behind is how long are we going to allow this uneven setting of standards,&#39;&#39; said Gary Henry, a policy studies professor and testing expert.