Don't compromise on test quality

A new report from the Brookings Institution critically examines the likely costs of the Common Core assessment options available to states, but urges states to consider quality in addition to cost when choosing. The estimated costs of PARCC and SBAC tests ($29.50 and $22.50 per student, respectively) are not far from the nationwide average of what states currently pay for tests, but states have expressed concerns, likely because the consortia have announced estimates but not firm prices.  States may be worried that prices will rise if states leave consortia, but even if all states where political debate over the Common Core is intense drop out of the consortia, costs would increase by no more than $2 or $3 per test. All Common Core assessments under consideration cost less than a single textbook, and represent a tiny part of the $10,500 average annual per-pupil spending on education. The report recommends that states gather good information on test quality to justify spending, and that Congress support these efforts when reauthorizing NCLB by restricting a small amount of education funding -- $30 or $40 per student -- to be spent only on assessments. This would force low-spending states to upgrade their assessment systems or leave money on the table. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

Published by LEAP

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.