Message: EOC Parent Letter

EOC Parent Letter
FromPotter, SarahDate  Friday, September 1, 2017 8:56 AM
To
Bowles, Nancy
Cc
SubjectEOC Parent Letter

See what you think of this. Do you think the explanation will make sense to parents – that the tests did not align well enough to previous year’s tests?

 

Sarah

 

Sarah Potter, APR | Communications Coordinator | 573‐751‐3469 | dese.mo.gov

facebook.com/MOEducation | twitter.com/MOEducation | twitter.com/_SarahPotter_ | youtube.com/MODeptofEducation

 


September 1, 2017

Dear Parents,

Our top priority as educators is to help prepare Missouri children for success, not only in school but also for life after graduation. We know you are proud of your students, and we are too. That is why we want to inform you about some developments resulting from the 2017 End-of-Course assessments in Algebra I and English II.

You may see media reports about the 2017 tests. We want to assure you that the scores your student received in Algebra I and English II reflect his or her skills and understanding. Your student’s class grades and any local decisions about A+ eligibility are not at risk.

Scores from End-of-Course assessments in Algebra I, English II, Biology and Government are among many measures used to determine the overall performance of a school district or charter school. The Annual Performance Reports (APRs) that we provide to school districts and charter schools look at multiple factors, including state assessments, and multiple years of data. The technical advisory committee (TAC) retained by DESE to review assessment results each year determined that 2017 Algebra I and English II assessments did not align well enough with previous years’ assessments to establish accurate school performance trends. We are excluding the results of those two tests for this purpose only. In addition, we do not plan to release district and statewide results in those subjects.

We realize these changes may cause concern for you and your student. If you have any questions, please contact DESE at communications@dese.mo.gov.

Thank you for supporting Missouri public education and your local school district.

Sincerely,

Margie Vandeven

Commissioner of Education