Board of Education: State exam is our decision to make

An analysis by the Iowa Department of Education says the Iowa Board of Education has the authority to determine the next state standardized exam, a conclusion that brings the board one step closer to adopting the controversial Smarter Balanced tests.

The question of authority comes after state lawmakers did not pass legislation on the issue of testing this session. And according to Iowa law, exams that reflect what's currently being taught in the classroom are required to be implemented in the 2016-17 school year.

"I firmly believe the Iowa Code gives the state board the authority to make the selection," Board member Mary Ellen Miller said during an annual board retreat in Ankeny.

No vote was taken Thursday, but the analysis gives Board of Education members greater confidence in making a decision to act on their January recommendation to lawmakers to select the new Smarter Balanced exams.

Yet the controversial decision would mean Iowa students wouldn't be tested by exams developed by the Iowa Testing Program at the University of Iowa.

That concerns some, such as Jeff Moorman, a main organizer and advocate with the Iowa for Student Achievement group.

The Ankeny parent has spoken against the Smarter Balanced exams, which he says would further imbed the Common Core standards and provide less local control because the tests would not be developed in Iowa.

"It would be a major political, possibly legal, mistake and create additional mistrust among Iowa parents and educators if the state Board of Education bypasses the legislature and acts on their own," Moorman said.

In December, the Iowa Assessment Task Force recommended the Smarter Balanced exams for math and reading, which are computer-based adaptive exams. They test baseline knowledge, and when students get a specific answer right or wrong, the exams give harder or easier questions to pinpoint the student's understanding.

The task force, which state lawmakers established in 2013, chose Smarter Balanced over the Next Generation Iowa Assessments, which are being developed by the Iowa Testing Program. In total, eight testing vendors submitted proposals to the state.

David Tilly, deputy director of the Department of Education, told board members Thursday that he reviewed Iowa law, Board of Education minutes and other documents dating back to the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 as part of the analysis.

In 2003, minutes show that the Board of Education had the authority in selecting the Iowa exams. That changed in 2012, when legislation gave lawmakers the authority. Then in 2014, legislation passed that Tilly says allows the authority to revert back to the board.

"It appears that unless the legislator exercises that authority, the authority reverts back to the state board," Tilly said.

The 2014 law also says the tests should be implemented for the 2016-17 school year. And Tilly reiterated that school districts need time to implement the new exams, such as training staff and ensuring computers and technology are in place to support computer testing.

"The clock is ticking," Miller said.

Adopting new exams would meet federal requirements that state standardized exams align with the educational standards in place, so that students are tested on what they're learning in the classroom.

In 2010, Iowa adopted the Common Core State Standards in math and English, setting new learning expectations in those subjects as part of the Iowa Core. They were fully implemented this past school year, meaning that the current Iowa Assessments do not reflect what's being taught.

"I've heard this in multiple forms: 'Why can't we just stay what with what we got?' " Tilly said. "The answer is clear, the standards are different."