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EOI Testing Getting Harder, More Failures Expected

The Biology I End of Instruction or EOI test this year for high school
students will be the most difficult ever and it may cause graduation
rates to take a dive.
"It's a pretty rigorous test," Robin Roberson a
science and biology teacher with Byng public schools said. The new test
has science teachers, and the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association
worried students may fail, and some not graduate, “Big worry, because
teachers want to know, how to get their students ready for that
assessment,” Marie Pool with Chandler Public Schools said.
The change
is due to a new test given by the State Department of Education, “We
needed to increase the rigor of our assessments,” Gaile Loving, the DOE
Science Assessment specialist added, “We have actually been in this
process for 3 years.”
According to Loving, back in 2011 the US
Department of Education told states that tests needed to be more
difficult, and over the last 3 years the exams have been getting harder
with more critical thinking questions. This year up to 40% of the EOI
Biology I test will be made up of the most difficult kind of critical
thinking questions. A sharp increase of the minimum 15% back in 2010.
“We are going to go up on the amount of critical thinking that a student
is going to have to do,” Loving said.
The more difficult test has
teachers worried some students will fail, and then not graduate, “I see
that being a definite fear,” Science Teacher Robin Roberson said.
The
increase failure and lower graduation rate is something the DOE is
aware of, “Do I expect a drop in scores? Probably temporarily,” Loving
said.
The DOE says students can always re-take the test, adding that
Biology I is just one of 5 additional subjects that students must pass
only 2 of to graduate. Last year 95% of students passed all the EOI
tests. “Students will rise to the occasion, they will start passing
those assessments,” Loving added.
Until that time, the pressure
falls on Oklahoma teachers to prepare students for these difficult
tests, “They have to academically perform well on that test,” Teacher
Marie Pool said.
Students can take the Biology I test up to 3 times a
year. Then they have the option of completing and EOI project to
fulfill that requirement.
Similar standardized tests for students in 5th and 8th grade will also be more difficult this year.EOI Testing Getting Harder, More Failures Expected

Posted: Wednesday, February 27 2013, 09:53 PM CST