The Idaho Statesman – Bill Roberts
” The tests are billed as more demanding than the exams students took in previous years, because they set higher knowledge bars and require students to analyze and show their work. That’s much different than the old Idaho Standards Achievement Tests, which were multiple choice. As a result, state education leaders don’t want Idahoans to expect much when results come out later this spring. They expect lower scores. “The standards are quite a bit more rigorous, and because of that I think there will be some struggles,” said Leora White, an eighth-grade algebra teacher at Nampa’s Lone Star Middle School. “I don’t think that we will have as many students proficient as we did before. But the kids know that.” The Common Core test covers math and English language arts. State education leaders anticipate that 33 percent to 39 percent of students will meet or exceed the standards in math, and 38 percent to 41 percent will meet or exceed them in English. Under the old ISAT, proficiency rates ranged between 80 percent and 90 percent.”(more)