Gaming the System: Wisconsin’s Forward Exam Scores Now Useless
Today, Wisconsin’s DPI released the 2023-24 Forward Exam scores for schools across Wisconsin. In the past, WILL has referred to these scores–and the report card built from them–as creating a “Lake Wobegone” effect where everyone is above average. But the changes made to the report card this year make the previous version of report cards seem like the pinnacle of accountability. In this blog post, we will compare the new report card to the old and highlight how DPI’s unilateral power to make changes to the state’s school accountability system must be checked.
What has Changed?
We wrote about some of this in a previously when the changes DPI was planning first became public. In a closed-door meeting that required the signing of a non-disclosure agreement to get into, DPI altered both the labels for categories of Forward Exam achievement and the cut points for those categories. The new labels are perhaps meant to be less “triggering” for kids, but they are also far less informative for parents. “Below Basic” is now “Developing.” “Basic” is now “Approaching.” “Proficient” is now “Meeting.” And “Advanced,” mercifully, will remain the same. But far more insidious than changing the names of the categories were changes to what “proficiency” itself means. DPI took it upon itself to alter proficiency standards that have been in place in Wisconsin since 2012. The new bar was expected to be lower, and that clearly has proven to be the case based on results released today.
“These (Wisconsin DPI) revisions are a way to make post-pandemic school performance look better just by lowering standards, without improving student outcomes”
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