DATE:
August 9, 2017
TO:
Secondary School Principals
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
State Mandated Summative Testing for 9th and 10th-Graders
On August 4, 2017, the Utah State Board of Education voted to reverse their previous decision to use the ACT Aspire as the end-of-year summative test for the 9th and 10th grades. We will now be administering the SAGE to grades 3-10 and 12. 11th graders will continue taking the ACT as their EOY summative test. It is unclear at this time how this decision will effect school accountability reporting, but we expect more information to come at a future date.
The Board cited the following as the reasons for reversing their decision (see attached flier from USBE in JAMs):
- Board staff discovered in May that ACT Aspire offers the same test for both 9th and 10th grade, changing and limiting the way meaningful growth scores can be calculated. It would be difficult for the same assessment to align substantively to the state-adopted 9th and 10th grade standards.
- This summer, Board attorneys identified potential legal issues that could come as a result of offering a sole-source contract to ACT. Language in Utah Code 53A-1-611.5 does not meet the strict sole source procurement code required to proceed with an ACT sole source.
- Independent studies have produced evidence that other tests are equally or more “predictive” of a student’s college readiness. SAGE results in 9th and 10th grade will include student reports with predictive data that includes college readiness (predictive of potential ACT score).
If you have any questions, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.
