Iowa's next exams? The smarter you are, the harder they get

The test question starts in a familiar way: Nicky has four packs of pencils.

Each pack contains 15 pencils. In each pack, five pencils are blue and the rest are green.

But that's where the Smarter Balanced standardized exams take a dramatic turn from traditional testing. The Iowa Board of Education is on the verge of adopting the new exams for the state's 336 public school districts.

Gone will be the endless rows of fill-in-the-bubble multiple choice questions completed with pencil and paper — replaced, instead, by interactive queries that ask students to demonstrate their skills using a computer and a mouse.

For example, in the fourth-grade math problem about Nicky's pencils, students are asked to fill in a computerized bar graph to show how many are blue and how many are green. (*Check out the answer at the end of the story.)

It's more challenging than multiple choice because of the dozens of incorrect possibilities, demanding critical thinking to solve the problem correctly.

The exams are also "computer adaptive," adjusting the difficultly of the questions based on whether a student answered the previous questions correctly. Answer correctly and you get a harder question; answer incorrectly and you get an easier one.

Proponents say that technology does a better job pinpointing each student's ability and measuring how well they are progressing academically.

"You're able to ask more higher-order thinking questions," said Jo Ellen Latham, Southeast Polk's curriculum and instruction director, who sat on a state assessment task force.

Board of Education members say a new exam is needed to accurately measure students on what they're learning in schools, which has changed with the adoption of Common Core standards as part of the Iowa Core. Those standards set grade-level expectations in math and English.

"It's a shift not just in Iowa, but across the country, in recognizing what's needed for our young people to succeed in the future," said Mary Ellen Miller, a member of the Iowa Board of Education.

But not everyone is sold on Smarter Balancec testing, which the state estimates will cost about $8.3 million.

Some wonder if Iowa schools will have the technology and infrastructure needed to make computerized testing work. Critics point to technical glitches with the delivery of Smarter Balanced exams delivered to some states last spring.

Montana made the tests optional, for example, because of delays that resulted in scheduling problems and "issues with loads on the test servers" that caused frustrations, a state news release said.

Other critics oppose the "computer adaptive" ability of the exams, saying it's unfair to give students exams with different questions.

And still others question what selecting the test — despite the contribution of 143 Iowa teachers during its creation— could mean for local control.

Through administrative rules, the board is expected to adopt the new Smarter Balanced tests in time for the 2016-17 school year.

If that happens, for the first time in modern history, Iowa students would not be taking exams developed by the Iowa Testing Programs at the University of Iowa, creator of the renowned Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

"I'm all about keeping it local," said parent Michele Crystal, a supporter of the Iowa Testing Programs exams who is running for a school board seat in the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District. "If we can control what the test looks like, we'll be able to control our curriculum and standards."

Adaptive exams' power

The reach of computer adaptive testing is growing quickly.

The technology is now used in standardized exams that help determine career placements ranging from military recruits to the licensing of nurses. It's also used in the GMAT, which is required for entrance into many graduate-level business schools.

Experts say adaptive exams do a better job measuring individual skill levels for a wide range of abilities, because they adjust to test-takers in real time. That's especially helpful among military ranks, for example, where jobs range from the labor-intensive to the scientific.

But officials from the Iowa Testing Programs criticize the technology's use among children. Smarter Balanced uses adaptive testing in grades 3-11 to determine if students are on grade level, which leaders of the Iowa Testing Programs dismiss as a "selling point" of "bells and whistles."

"The reality is, that's an advertising point more than anything else," said Stephen Dunbar, director of the Iowa Testing Programs.

Instead, Iowa Testing Programs submitted a "fixed form" test for the state Board of Education's consideration called the Next Generation Iowa Assessments, which ask every student the same questions. Supporters contend it's just as reliable and valid at measuring student achievement as adaptive testing.

"We don't believe adaptive has an advantage that justifies all the overhead required," Cathy Welch, director of the Iowa Statewide Testing Programs, which is an arm of Iowa Testing Programs.

Most task force members interviewed by The Des Moines Register disagree, saying adaptive exams offer many benefits, including better precision on measuring student progress.

"If we're going to put schools and school districts under that kind of microscope, we need to at least honor them with as fair as an assessment as we can," said Mark Lane, director of human resources in Urbandale and a task force member.

The road to reform

Iowa's new reform measures are beginning to be rolled out across the state. And many have a testing component, which makes the state's choice in standardized exam critical.

Test scores will be a factor in deciding whether to hold third-graders back a year if they're behind grade level in reading, and in measuring school performance in Attendance Center Rankings, which are report cards for schools.

"There's an interrelationship between all these things," Lane said.

While traditional end-of-the-year exams accurately measure how well "kids in the middle" grow each year, Lane said it becomes difficult to tell how much growth a student who's routinely at the 99 percentile has achieved.

If a student constantly scores among the top 1 or 2 percent, it's difficult to tell if they've improved an additional 5 percent or 25 percent over the previous year.

"We want to know: Are we successful in helping kids grow every year?" Lane said. "Not only do we want to help them grow a full year, we want to accelerate their growth."

In addition, task force members point to a suite of tests and a digital library of resources that come with the exams, which districts have the option to use. Mid-year exams help monitor student progress — and help inform teachers on where to target instruction, potentially helping students improve.

Some districts already pay for such exams, a cost the state Education Department estimates at $2 million a year. Proponents say that, if local schools choose to replace their current mid-year exams with Smarter Balanced mid-year exams, it could save them money.

Time to develop

The two exams, Smarter Balanced and Next Generation, were selected by the state task force from eight tests submitted for consideration.

Over about 15 months, task force members found that both met the Legislature's minimum requirements.

But among the sticking points was how far along the tests were in development, said Harry Heiligenthal of the Iowa Association of School Boards, and a task force member.

He said Iowa Testing Programs' Next Generation exams were difficult to conceptualize. "It's a well-intentioned promise and assurance, but it's not there yet," he said.

The leaders of Iowa Testing Programs have said it can take up to five years to create a new exam — and a shorter timeline won't produce the same quality results.

Working out the bugs

The Smarter Balanced exams were taken by more than 7 million students across the United States this past spring. And while proponents admit there were some delivery issues, they also say the test is available on paper during an initial rollout.

Technical issues were reported in states such as Montana, North Dakota and Nevada. Luci Willits, deputy executive director of Smarter Balanced, which is housed at UCLA, said those problems were the result of states using open-source code developed for states to use for delivering the exams.

"It was the platform, not the computer," she said. "What caused the glitches there were the open source experience, and we didn't have similar issues in other states."

Some fear similar issues could occur in Iowa, which has relied on paper exams. But Iowa schools may be further along in adopting the technology needed to use computer-adaptive testing.

There were almost 340,000 computers in Iowa's public K-12 schools — an average of 7 computers for every 10 students — in the 2013-14 school year, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

At the time, about 110 school districts had at least one computer per student, if not more. That represents about one-third of districts.

However, other infrastructure is needed. While nearly all public school buildings in Iowa have a "bare minimum" bandwidth (1 Mbps per 100 students) needed to operate Smarter Balanced, a February preliminary state report notes higher bandwidth is preferable.

The report said 58 percent to 89 percent of school buildings are at the suggested level (1 Mbps per 10 students) and only 3 percent to 4 percent are at the optimal level (1 Mbps per 1 student).

"At some point in the near future, online is the direction that testing and assessments is going," said Heiligenthal of the Iowa Association of School Boards. "There will be technology issues that we'll have to work through, but they'll be there for both tests, and as best as we can tell, Iowa is in the ball park."

*Did you guess the answer? Twenty pencils are blue and 40 are green. Take a sample exam onlinehere.

How we got here

Iowa is seeking a new statewide exam to reflect the Common Core State Standards, which are currently taught in Iowa classrooms as part of the Iowa Core. Standards set grade-level learning expectations in math and English.

In 2013, state lawmakers established the Iowa Assessment Task Force to review and recommend a new standardized exam. In total, organizations submitted eight tests to the state, including the Iowa Testing Programs at the University of Iowa, which developed the state exams currently in use.

In December, the Iowa Assessment Task Force recommended the Smarter Balanced exam, which was created by a consortium of states after receiving a $178 million grant. The exams are operated out of UCLA.

About 7 million students in various states took the tests for the first time during the 2014-15 school year. The exams are computer adaptive, meaning students are asked harder or easier questions to better gauge their ability level.

In January, the Iowa Board of Education recommended the exams to state lawmakers, although no legislation on the issue of testing passed this session.

In June, members of the state board reviewed a legal analysis that they believe gives them the power to adopt a new exam. Earlier this month, board members initiated a rule-making process to adopt the exams.

If adopted, the exams would be used during the 2016-17 school year.

More Online

• Sample Smarter Balanced exams are available online here.
• More information about adaptive abilities is available here.
• The Iowa Assessment Task Force report can be found here.

Source: Iowa Board of Education; Smarter Balanced

Iowa Testing Programs defends its approach

A portrait of Everett Franklin Lindquist hangs in a corner conference room at the Iowa Testing Programs offices in Iowa City. Seen as the grandfather of educational exams, Lindquist introduced a statewide academic competition in 1929 known as the "Brain Derby."

That developed into what became the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in 1935, and later Lindquist and his associates developed an electronic scoring machine that allowed for the quick grading of standardized tests.

The testing program has since developed along with education advancements. When Iowa adopted the Common Core standards as part of the Iowa Core — setting certain grade-level expectations in math and English — officials began work on the Next Generation Iowa Assessments.

But the organization's decision to continue creating a "fixed form" exam, instead of a "computer adaptive" one championed by Smarter Balanced, is among the reasons why State Assessment Task Force members said they recommended the latter.

"We obviously didn't convince the task force members, but we remain very strong (in our position) that for this purpose, adaptive is not an appropriate approach for accountability," said Stephen Dunbar, director of the Iowa Testing Programs.

Cathy Welch, director of the Iowa Statewide Testing Programs, an arm of Iowa Testing Programs, said adopting Smarter Balanced exams could dramatically change the university's testing programs, although it's not yet to what extent. Staffing could be affected, although those with tenure would not lose their jobs.

However, Iowa Testing Programs will continue offering standardized exams, including other tests such as the HiSET, or the High School Equivalency Test, which has already replaced the GED in Iowa and other states.

And program leaders say they'll continue to work with school districts in offering math and English exams, and will work, through their publisher, with other states interested in the Next Generation Iowa Assessment as an alternative to consortium-developed exams such as Smarter Balanced.

"We have every intention of finishing it," said Welch of the Next Generation exams. "We're 90 percent of the way there. We'll have it done whether our state uses it or not. But we will be offering it as alternatives outside the state."

Disagreement arises over costs

According to records requested from the Iowa Department of Education, the Smarter Balanced Assessments become comparable when you factor expenses beyond the individual exams given to Iowa's 326,000 students in grades 3-11.

But in a dissenting opinion in the Iowa Assessment Task Force report, one member voiced concern about selecting the more expensive exams without a deeper understanding of all costs involved.

Karen Woltman, a parent representative on the task force, said a science exam would not be included in the Smarter Balance purchase.

Plus, there's the cost of upgrading technology and infrastructure for computer testing, as well as the IT personnel needed to maintain complex systems.

"All those costs are going to have to come out of the budget, and with the way the 2015 legislative session played out and the governor's veto, we can't at this point be expecting the state to make up those costs," she told The Des Moines Register. "It's going to come out of district budgets."

According to state figures, the Next Generation exams and services would cost $15 per student ($4.9 million) compared to $25.35 per student ($8.3 million) for Smarter Balanced.

However, that's not an apples-to-apples comparison. Iowa Department of Education has said there are additional costs for reporting and services for Next Generation that are built into the cost of the Smarter Balanced exams.

Plus, many districts pay for additional mid-year exams to monitor student growth — officials estimate that additional cost at $2 million — that would be included as part of the Smarter Balanced suite.

To create a comparison, state officials believe the Next Generation exams and additional expenses would cost nearly $8 million, compared to $8.3 million for Smarter Balanced exams.

But that still doesn't include additional costs of wiring schools or adding Wi-Fi networks and sufficient bandwidth to handle students taking the exam at the same time.

"The costs associated with building and maintaining such networks are significant and can vary widely depending on the current state of the systems in each district," said David Dude in a memo in the state task force report, on behalf of technology directors in the Urban Education Network of Iowa.

Without an earmarked allocation from state lawmakers, school districts may be the ones to bear the costs of both the new tests and necessary upgrades.

"The argument for Smarter Balanced, it doesn't negate the fact that school districts don't have the money," said Jeff Moorman, a main organizer and advocate with the Iowa for Student Achievement group.