Okaloosa County’s end-of-course exams once again will not negatively impact students’ grades.
School district officials made the announcement Thursday morning during a School Board workshop.
“We actually decided that a long time ago … but we couldn’t tell the kids that,” Superintendent of Schools Mary Beth Jackson said. “ … We wanted to get the best data we could for this first one.”
The exams, which were given to middle and high school students last month,went through extensive vetting after numerous issues were raised last year when the tests were given for the first time.
Jackson and her staff opted to hold students harmless again this year as part of a plan to validate the tests the best way they could before state law requires districts to count them as part of students’ final grades in the 2014-15 school year, she said.
Students who performed well on the exams will see the impact on their final grade, she said.
The state ordered districts to develop the EOCs in preparation for the new standards, but has not provided funding or questions for the tests, Jackson said.
This is the second year Okaloosa has given the tests. Many school districts have not developed them yet.
The School Board also voted to hold students harmless last year after numerous issues were reported with the exams and student scores were nearly universally low.
“We have concerns about this whole thing,” Jackson said of the mandated tests. “We’re hoping that we’re doing what is absolutely right and best.”
Grades for the district-created exams haven’t been finalized yet, but Jackson said she expected to have them all in about two weeks. After data is gathered from each school, the district’s staff and several statisticians will review them, she said.
When all is said and done, Jackson said they hope to narrow down any issues to one of three problems: the content wasn’t taught in class; the question was poorly written; or students didn’t comprehend the content as it was taught.
A letter explaining the procedure was made available to parents and students Thursday, according to Marcus Chambers, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum.
“We felt like the parents needed to know where we are in this process,” Jackson said. “ … By their students taking these tests, they’re giving us the data we need to get better tests.”
School Board members applauded the district’s decision about the grades, but remained concerned about the future.
“That’s probably a pretty good solution while we’re going through the transition period,” board member Dewey Destin said.
He encouraged the district to continue analyzing the data and looking for ways to improve the tests before 2014-15.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.