I know that last rumor was a bit confusing... but then that is why it has been allowed to continue.... No one gets it, so no one questions it.
Try this....
First understand the "benchmarks" in Lebanon
Early benchmark 1 (educationally equal to kindergarten and 1st grade) Usually 5 and 6 year olds
Mid-benchamark 1 (same level as 2nd grade) Usually 7 year olds.
Adv. benchmark 1 (3rd grade) Usually 8 years old.
BIG IMPORTANT HIGH STAKES TEST
Early benchmark 2 (4th grade) Usually 9 year olds.
NEXT:
Lets say that we have 100 8 year olds in Lebanon.
3 of them are in early benchmark 2 and will not be tested on the high stakes test.
17 of them are in mid-benchmark 1 and will not be tested.
80 of them take the state's "Third Grade" test and of them
60 meet and 15 exceed! Whoo Hoo!
Our district might report that 75% met and 18.75% exceeded for a total of 93.75% meeting or exceeding.
That looks great until you remember that we were supposed to test ALL 100 8 year olds.
So technically 60% met and 15% exceeed and therefore only 75% met or exceeded and suddenly the numbers aren't so cool.
Teachers have stated over the years that the district has in the past not tested students with the age level tests. Has that practiced stopped or are we still cooking the books?
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There is an outstanding report that was written by the Consortium of Chicago School Research, entitled "Ending Social Promotion: Dropout Rates in Chicago after Implementation of the Eighth-Grade Promotion Gate (Benchmark Testing to enter high school)"
You can read it by going to:
http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/content/publications.php?pub_id=12
It states: "For students retained by the promotion gate, retention had a larger consequence than improving achievement on their odds of remaining in school. As a result, students with very low achievement were even less likely to graduate than before the policy was implemented. Students already old-for-grade before reaching the eighth-grade gate were particularly likely to be affected adversely."
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