Vitti nails it on test accountabiliy

Inexplicably the group charged with finding out if Florida's tests were valid, despite a mountain or problems and concerns came back and said it was. Superintendent Vitti disagreed and he was exactly right.

From the Times Union:  Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said in a statement the department will be able to use this year’s test scores in calculating school grades.

Duval Superintendent Nikolai Vitti was less kind in his assessment of the test and its analysis.

“There was never a question of whether the FSA was aligned to the new standards and therefore was valid in that sense,” said Vitti. “Unfortunately, a validation study did not address what was at the center of concerns for parents, teachers, and administrators...that the use of FSA for the purposes of school grades, retention, and teacher/administrator evaluation was unfair, illogical, impractical, and defied best practice regarding proper field testing. In other words, the use of the results to make decisions about students’ future and the performance of schools, teachers, and administrators.

“The FDOE and the State of Florida missed the opportunity to make the right decision,” Vitti said. “As a result, the legacy of a needed and strong accountability system for our students will continue to be questioned. I only hope now that the test will remain the same and the measures to define proficiency and growth after this year’s changes remain the same for the purposes of consistency and transparency. If this does not happen, then Florida’s accountability system is doomed.

http://jacksonville.com/news/2015-09-01/story/test-valid-study-says-vitti-concerns-fairness-practicallity-logic

This study will end up doing more harm than good. Them coming back and saying the study was valid despite a mountain of evidence that says it wasn't just goes to show what a joke and how corrupt the accountability system is.

I think Vitti nailed it except at the end, because the system is already doomed.