Kansas Board of Education votes 7-3 to change scale for state assessments

TOPEKA (KSNT) — The Kansas Board of Education has officially voted to change the scoring scale for statewide assessments.

The new scale will make it easier for students to meet the “college readiness” level.

After discussion among board members, they passed the new scale in a 7-3 vote. Kansas state assessments divide students into 4 levels based on performance. The top two levels signify that a student shows “college readiness”.

More students are expected to score in the top two levels now that the new scale has been approved.

Some have raised concerns about this, claiming the move is designed to cover up poor test scores. The board disagreed, saying that the old scale did not accurately reflect students abilities, and that it was too ambitious.

We spoke with Cathy Hopkins, the chair of the Board of Education. She emphasized that the board is not trying to lower standards for Kansas students.

“Nobody wants to lower expectations, standards, rigor in any way. Our belief is that this will be a clearer picture of what kids are learning and how well they are able to show that they’re learning.”

This marks the first time that the Kansas state assessment scale has changed in nearly 10 years.

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