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Senator Questions Fairness Of Algebra EOC Exam
July 24, 2017
While praising a recent legislative decision to eliminate an end-of-course exam for students taking Algebra II, a Northeast Florida senator is raising questions about whether the change is being applied fairly.
Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, sent a letter Thursday to top state education officials that focused on students who took the exam during the past school year. In part, the letter pointed to other students who had planned to take an end-of-course makeup exam this month but, he said, will no longer be required to do so.
The end-of-course exam was eliminated as part of a massive education bill (HB 7069) approved by lawmakers this spring. “Specifically, since the enacting of HB 7069 on July 1, students who took Algebra II last year are graded differently depending on whether they took the end-of-course exam or not,” Hutson wrote to Education Commissioner Pam Stewart and State Board of Education Chairwoman Marva Johnson.
“While the exam counted as 30 percent of the final grades for those who took it, those who were intending to take the makeup test this month can no longer do so and their grades will be calculated without the exam. This creates a scenario where some students who took the exam would see their grades improve if their grades were calculated the same way as students who did not take the exam.” Hutson, who said he was contacted by parents and teachers in his district, also raised other concerns about fairness. “The problems with the Algebra II end-of-course exam are well documented and the reasons for its elimination are well founded,”
Hutson wrote. “However, there is a current cohort of students who took the exam and had their grades negatively affected by a flawed test that their peers who will take Algebra II next year will not have to worry about. While it is too late to help those who are starting college this year, there is still time to right this wrong for the rising sophomores, juniors and seniors who have had the Algebra II exam hurt their GPAs.”
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
7 Responses to “Senator Questions Fairness Of Algebra EOC Exam”
REGARDING:
” the assumption is that the material on the test is valid, and the teachers testing the material are capable of teaching the material.”
Actually, an end of course examination only assumes the test accurately tests the student’s ability to do the work the student should know how to do by the end of the course. It does not divide the question of why the student succeeds or fails.
I had a pitiful Algebra 2 teacher in Century 1969-70 for part of the year. He did not teach the subject, lectured on social issues as he clumped around the room on his wooden foot — lost in service to our country.
He was a good man and meant well, but did not teach Algebra 2. Yet he TESTED our ability to do the work, so we learned it on our own, gathering at lunch to figure it out. We would have aced an end of course exam, but not because he taught it.
David for better teachers and students
Dear NOD:
Your logic is flawed. Once again, the assumption is that the material on the test is valid, and the teachers testing the material are capable of teaching the material. Here is the problem in a nutshell.
Is this why the teachers push community school so much.
Final exams determine if you retained what you were taught. With no final exam you can learn it and forget it. This is a practice called criterion testing. Each and every teacher in the county should be teaching the same information and if they are not then their supervisor should be fired.
Imagine explaining this one on a college application.
while your at it,
less take grammar two .
The assumption is that the test is fair, the teacher knows his/her stuff, and the students are well-prepared. This is not the case for Algebra II students, especially those in the north end. They have been the product of several teacher turnovers ,etc. Look at the results of the latest EOC in Algebra II. Only 9% of Northview’s students even passed; however, these same students scored second in the entire district in writing, reading and biology. Something is definitely wrong here! Many students had A’s and B’s going into that final exam and bombed the exam — thus making their final average drop to a “C.” How can this be? Then again, could it be that their 9 weeks’ grades were not adequately representing their abilities to begin with? Either way, there is a major discrepancy.