CPS Adopts New Promotion Policy for Elementary Students
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is instituting a new student promotion policy that moves current assessment standards from a two-tiered achievement model, to a three-tiered method. CPS officials say the current promotion policy is no longer consistent with state requirements and therefore requires an update.
Under the new, three-tiered level achievement model, CPS feels teachers can better evaluate students’ needs and build more focused curriculum based on individual needs.
“This new policy will better prepare and support students during elementary school to get them on a path for success in college, career and life,” said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. “As the District adopts more rigorous assessment standards, we must provide teachers with better tools to measure academic progress in order to identify where intervention is necessary and provide students with the individual supports they need to reach their full potential.”
According to CPS, the state changed the Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT) so that it now aligns with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). According to the CCSS website, its standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. Forty-five states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted CCSS’s standards.
With this promotion policy update, the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) replaces the SAT10 as an assessment and will be used in conjunction with student grades, for promotion decisions in grades of 3, 6, and 8.
Implemented in School Year 2012-2013 (SY 12-13), the NWEA is currently administered to students in Grades 3-8 at the beginning and in the spring of the school year. As the common assessment used throughout the District, CPS officials feels NWEA serves as a more accurate indicator of student readiness for grade promotion and aligns with national standards of achievement.
Additionally, the NWEA will be considered in promotion decisions until the state implementation of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a strong index of college readiness, expected to be in place by spring, 2015.
In addition to a cross-departmental steering committee charged with crafting the proposed changes to the elementary promotion policy, CPS officials said focus groups comprised of teachers, principals, parents and various community-based organizations were engaged in the process.
Chicago Public Schools announced the new elementary promotion policy on Friday saying the new policy better aligns with more rigorous state assessments, as well as creates a more, well-rounded picture of student progress and needs by considering both grades and performance for student promotion.
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), however, does not agree with the new assessment system.
“CTU does not believe in the use of standardized tests to place high stakes on children,” said CTU President, Karen Lewis, a National Board Certified teacher. “There is a mountain of research that clearly states the best predictors of success for children are grades and attendance. Grades fall under the purview of professional autonomy and are indicative of the deep relationships and understanding between students and their teachers. In addition, research also shows that retention of students is particularly harmful. We support a range of wraparound services designed to address these issues.”
This revised policy will go before the Chicago Board of Education (BOE) for approval at its monthly meeting today.
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