In an effort to speed up release of state test results, the state Board of Regents is considering major changes to the administration of the English language arts and mathematics assessments for grades 3-8.

Regents discussed eliminating the staggered testing schedule and possibly shifting the scoring of exams to a commercial vendor, but no decisions were made at last month's meeting.

Education Commissioner Richard Mills outlined a series of changes that he said could cut about 35 days from the time it takes to get scores back to schools. He said contracting out scoring would help schools reclaim instructional time that is lost when substitutes fill in for teachers who are out of the classroom while scoring exams or being trained for scoring.

If the state assumed responsibility for scoring, Mills said, it could cost the state between $25 million and $35 million in expenses now covered by local districts. The grades 3-8 exams are now scored locally or regionally by New York state teachers.

Mills acknowledged that scoring is an "established tradition that New York teachers hold dear." He said teachers have graded the Regents exams since they were created in the 1800s.

SED Deputy Commissioner David Abrams urged the state's educational policy-making board to rethink the staggered timing of exams, which includes administration of grades 3-5 one week and grades 6-8 a second week, followed by makeup exams. He said giving the tests at the same time would save at least two weeks.

With the testing calendar for the 2008-09 already published and schools having set their testing and scoring schedules, Abrams did not advocate changing the 2008-09 calendar.

Signaling a change

However, for the 2009-10 school year, he said, "We can signal to the field now that a change will be coming."

Several Regents asked if the state ought to administer all exams at the same time and closer to the end of the school year.

"This is a complicated process that we do not recommend at this juncture," Abrams said. Math exams are carefully designed to test material from March to March and the field has adjusted curriculum based upon this. Shifting the times would also impact test development, which is already completed for the next testing cycle. Abrams said that if the Regents really want to move exams to later in the year, test developers would need at least two years' notice.

Currently, the ELA test is given in January followed by the math test in March. Results of this year's exams are not scheduled for release until the end of the school year. In previous years, ELA results were released a month or so earlier.

A requirement of No Child Left Behind, the tests in grades 3-8 are administered to about 300,000 students per grade in public and non-public schools.

"Is this information really valid for instructional planning when you take the test in January and get results six months later?" asked Regent Lester Young.

A number of Regents noted that earlier test results are crucial because students who score below the state standard must be provided Academic Intervention Services.

"The shorter the turnaround, the faster the child can get remedial help," said Regent James Dawson. "That's why we want to speed it up."

Are New York's testing timelines consistent with other large states? Regents asked.

SED's Abrams said an analysis of six other large states -California, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas - shows only Texas returns results considerably faster (within a month). Abrams noted those exams are multiple choice.

The Regents will revisit the topic in the coming months. Watch www.nysut.org for updates.

- Sylvia Saunders