When Missouri releases its standardized test scores, it’s always a tense week for some school districts.
But this year two area districts are both tense and confused.
The confusion for Kansas City Public Schools and the Hickman Mills School District comes because the state changed its standardized tests.
Both districts are provisionally accredited and hoping for full accreditation following this year’s results which will be publicly released Tuesday.
However, the state says because of the change, a year-to-year comparison would be almost useless.
Hickman Mills Superintendent Dennis Carpenter says it’s tough when what they have to teach keeps moving.
“And if the what we teach continues to be a moving target then we struggle in terms of the training we’ve provided, the training we’ve invested in," he says.
Kansas City Public Schools predicts good results and intends to press the state board of education for full accreditation. “So it is a big shift for us as a district, as a community to really understand where this will all end up," says KCPS Chief Academic Officer Vickie Murillo.
This year’s test was aligned with Common Core standards. Missouri lawmakers didn’t like that so the test will change again next year.
