8/10/2019 Vermont Letter
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219 North Main Street, Suite 402, Barre, VT 05641
(p) 802-479-1030 (!) 802-479-1835
Me"o to SB#$ %o&ernin' State
MM*+#NM
T*. SB#$ %o&ernin' State
/+*M. +eea oo"e, Ver"ont Seretar o! uation
SB$T. i"itation o! per!or"ane ate'orie !or upportin'
i"pro&e"ent in
earnin' an aein' hoo e!!eti&ene
#T. No&e"er 2, 2014
*ur purpoe in "eetin' toa i to appro&e per!or"ane threho on
the SB#$
ae"ent in o"piane ith the !eera reuire"ent that State report on
tuentper!or"ane in ter" o! per!or"ane ate'orie an re&ie the
:perent
pro!iient;< Ver"ont oe not upport the ue o! per!or"ane threho
a a &ai
"ean o! o""uniatin' aout per!or"ane; =n aition, a o! et e
ha&e itte
e"piria e&iene reate to the &aiit o! the propoe ut ore
!or atua
iri"inatin' eteen thoe ho are :oe'e an areer rea< an thoe ho
are
not;
*ur onern i a the "ore ree&ant 'i&en the hi'h ta>e an
antion attahe to
per!or"ane reati&e to thee threho ore uner !eera poi; Thi i
a the "oreorrio"e 'i&en e?teni&e reearh on the e!!et o!
peritent ineuait on hoo
outo"e; Sine Ver"ont hoo, epite ein' hi'h orin' reati&e to
the nation, are
area oniere :o per!or"in'< uner N$B, thi i ha&e itte
"ateria i"pat
in Ver"ont; oe&er, = a" ure it i a onern !or other tate at
the tae, here
hoo i preita !ai ue to proe" that are i''er than the tre"enou
e!!ort
their teaher are "a>in' to i"pro&e the earnin' o! our
hiren; # %ar *r!ie
reent rote.
Setting absurd standards and then announcing massive failures
has undermined public
support for public schools. . . . We are dismantling public
school systems whose problems
are basically the problems of racial and economic polarization,
segregation and economic
disinvestment. (Educational esearcher, !ugust"September
#$%&,p.#')
=ntea o! reportin' in ter" o! per!or"ane ate'orie, e ou report
per!or"ane in
ter" o! ae ore; # oi o o! e"piria reearh u''et that ae ore
pro&ie "ore o"pete in!or"ation on per!or"ane an are "ore
ue!u !or the
purpoe o! in!or"in' i"pro&e"ent e!!ort; @e are inete in
partiuar to the
8/10/2019 Vermont Letter
2/3
Me"o to SB#$ %o&ernin' State
Aa'e 2o! 3
reearh o! #nre o1o! the ar&ar %rauate Shoo o! uation in
o"in' to
thee onuion.
1; Cut scores are arbitrary:$ut ore are et throu'h hu"an u'"ent
in a
tanar ettin' proe, an are there!ore ueti&e eter"ination
o!
:appropriate< e&e o! per!or"ane; SB#$ i !ooin' et pratie
to et thee
ore, ut there i no tru oeti&e a to et threho ore; # SB#$
tet
are ne, thee per!or"ane e&e are not et preiti&e o!
!uture outo"e; =n
!at, ei'n, SB#$ i a tet o! "ater o! etaihe urriuar tanar; @e
an on hpotheiCe that it ao apture ee"ent o! o'niti&e an
other >i
that i e ue!u in o""unitie, oe'e an in areer;
2; Proficiency bands reward schools who push students over
bandlevels and
provide no recognition for growth withinbands:#n anae o! tren
or
"a'nitue o! ore 'ap epen on here the pro!iien threho it
reati&e
to the itriution o! tet ore; /or e?a"pe, a hoo hoe tuent
initiaore !ar eo pro!iient "i'ht ha&e &er ar'e 'ain in "ean
ae ore, ut i!
the tuent are ti orin' !ar eo the threho !or pro!iien, thee
re"ar>ae 'ain i not e apture reportin' in per!or"ane
ate'orie; =n
ontrat, a hoo that e"ontrate &er "oet 'ain (perhap one
point
a&era'e ae ore) "a ee a &er ar'e inreae in the nu"er o!
tuent
orin' a pro!iient, i! it tuent, on a&era'e, are orin'
&er oe to the
pro!iien threho to tart; =n thi ae, the eon hoo ou appear to
e
"ore e!!eti&e, hie in truth the !irt i the "ore e!!eti&e
hoo; Thu,
reportin' in per!or"ane ate'orie itort an "irepreent the true
tor o!i"pro&e"ent;
3; Comparisons of the performance of subgroups (e.g. students in
poverty vs.
more affluent students) are distortedin the a"e a o"parion in
the
per!or"ane o! hoo are itorte;
+eportin' in per!or"ane ate'orie ha a pui appea. @e i>e the
apparent ertaint
an arit o! ein' ae to ate'oriCe our tuent a :pro!iient;<
oe&er, thi
"irepreent the unerin' o"pe?it o! ahie&e"ent an ontriute to
i"piti
poiie that "a>e it i!!iut to ahie&e our pui purpoe;
Ver"ont i preent at thi e?erie eaue e are o"pee to o"p ith
threho
reportin' N$B; oe&er, the !ou o! tate-e&e reportin' in
Ver"ont i e ae
ore, an in partiuar, "ean ore an han'e in ini&iua an "ean
ore; @e
eie&e thi i upport "ore reponie ue o! tet ata to in!or"
i"pro&e"ent
e!!ort at the hoo, itrit an uper&ior union e&e; @e
enoura'e our SB#$
1Ho, Andrew Dean. (2008). The problem with proficiency:
Limitations of statistics and policy under No Child Left
Behind. Educational Researcher. 37, 6, p. 351.
