In the latest controversy over state exams, Illinois is in hot water with the federal government for not administrating statewide science tests this school year.
Failure to give the exams is a violation of the law, according to a stern letter from the U.S. Department of Education, and the Illinois State Board of Education has been placed in what the federal agency calls “high-risk status” for not complying with testing requirements.
The letter dated April 20 states that the board must come up with a plan and timeline by June 30 to come into compliance and give the science assessments in 2015-16.
“We’re working on our plan to provide a science assessment in 2015-16 and will submit it to the U.S. Department of Education by June 30, per the letter,” board spokeswoman Mary Fergus said Wednesday in an email to the Tribune.
The newspaper wrote earlier this year about the notable absence of science exams on the testing lineup this spring. The tests covering everything from matter and energy to Earth and space had been a fixture in previous exam seasons.
Federal law requires science testing at least once during grades 3 through 5, 6 through 9, and 10 through 12.
State education officials said that the longtime science exams for fourth-, seventh- and 11th-graders have become obsolete because new science standards for what children should know have been adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education and the state has plans to give students a new science test.
The board planned to do some pilot testing of new science assessments this school year — but not statewide testing — and sought approval from the federal government to proceed. The state moved forward prior to getting a decision from the Department of Education, disturbing some science educators concerned that no science testing would mean less time and energy devoted to science.
Other states that have adopted the new science standards, called the Next Generation Science Standards, have been giving state science exams this school year, the Tribune found.
In mid-March, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan attended the National Science Teachers Association conference in Chicago to give a speech and speak to reporters. When asked by the Tribune about the science exams and whether Illinois would be sanctioned for not administering them, he said, “I don’t know the details there,” but would follow up.
About a month later, the agency came down hard on Illinois, rejecting the idea of pilot testing.
The Department of Education said the pilot testing violated the law that “requires a state to implement high-quality, yearly student academic assessments in science to measure student achievement and to inform instruction, and report the results of those assessments to parents, schools, local educational agencies,” according to the April 20 letter.
Not complying with federal test requirements was deemed so significant that the federal agency placed the state board on high-risk status, a designation that could potentially jeopardize grant funding and can include increased federal monitoring. In general, states face possible sanctions, including the loss of federal dollars, when mandated tests are not given.
The controversy over science exams began brewing at a time when tensions were high over Chicago Public Schools’ refusal to give new state reading and math exams called PARCC to most students. CPS ultimately decided to give the reading and math exams, fearing loss of millions of federal dollars.
The launch of new exams has spurred confusion and rebellion around the Chicago area, with a larger number of students opting out of the state exams.
