State to take writing off high school assessments

Carroll schools to continue emphasizing the subject

The assessments, which all students in the class of 2009 and on need to pass in order to graduate, evaluate student performance in algebra, biology, English and government and are offered several times a year.

The state decided to phase out the questions after ‘‘extensive discussions” with local superintendents, state school staff and its vendors, said Ronald A. Peiffer, the state school system’s deputy superintendent for academic policy.

‘‘[I’m] not exactly happy with the changes,” said Charles Ecker, Carroll County Public Schools superintendent, adding, ‘‘I can understand the reasoning...we need a quicker return.”

Some administrators and school systems expressed concerns that the existing format, which takes about nine weeks to be reviewed, graded and returned to instructors, didn’t allow enough time to remediate students and prepare them for the next testing opportunity.

The Maryland State Department of Education has been studying removing the writing component from the assessments for about a year, said spokesman Bill Reinhard, and recently began notifying administrators about the change, which will go into affect in May 2009.

‘‘Most administrators were expecting it,” said Reinhard. He said the new tests would take about four to six weeks to grade, and once they have been in general circulation, he said it might be possible for results to take as few as three weeks to process.

‘‘It will help students know what they have to study,” Reinhard said.

Though writing will no longer be a part of the high school assessments after the implementation of the new test in less than two years, efforts are being made to strengthen the writing portion of the school curriculum statewide.

Reinhard said representatives have been meeting with colleges and universities in Maryland to develop ways to improve the writing component.

Ecker said the Carroll school system has developed a writing plan covering students in all grades that will be presented to the Board of Education at an upcoming meeting, and complement the system’s renewed focus in reading.

He said that even with the widespread use of computers and newer technology and the need to have testing results sooner, ‘‘still, I think it’s very important – we can’t forget about writing.”

The Educational Testing Services which makes the tests have developed a multiple-choice test which will maintain the rigor of the current assessments, Reinhard said.

Beginning with the May 2008 tests, there will be fewer written-response questions because the sate will no longer field-test the questions, according to a Sept. 10 memo from the state.

Staff writer Marcus Moore contributed to this report.