Maryland seems poised to become a national model for
effectively collecting and using early education data. Governor Martin
O'Malley has proposed to the Maryland legislature the creation of a data
collection system that would track its students from pre-k through 12th
grade and beyond. This step, combined with the state's Work Sampling System, could provide the
most developmentally appropriate and comprehensive data system in the
nation. From FairTest.org:
The
Work Sampling System is a continuous assessment format which helps
teachers and families gain perspective on the students development over
an eight-year period, from ages 3 to 11.
states are moving towards a longitudinal system, but only Maryland has
the child-centered assessments system to make the data valuable. Work
Sampling has been shown reliable and valid up to 11 years old. This
makes the Maryland system student-centered, longitudinal and able to
answer important policy questions that guide accountability and funding
decisions. Some of the answers that Michael Keller, former director of
policy analysis and research for the Maryland Higher Education
Commission highlighted are:
What achievement
levels in elementary school indicate that a student is "on track" for
later success? What effect does early grade retention have on later
academic success? What evidence exists that students who pass courses
have learned the course content? Which elementary, middle and high
schools in the state are consistently highest performing in preparing
different student populations? What high school achievement levels
indicate that a student is ready for college or work?
These
are just a few of the questions this system could answer. It could also
answer a big pre-k question: When do the effects of pre-k show up the
most? Is it by third grade as the fans of the "fade effect" suggest or
is it, as I suspect, as cumulative and important in middle and high
school?
