IOWA ADOPTS LOWEST MIDWEST STUDENT PROFICIENCY STANDARD

 The following chart shows that Iowa, once known as a leader in education, shamefully adopted the lowest student proficiency standard in the Midwest—a standard far (-20 percentage points) below Iowa grade level, where Iowa students should score when tested.  The comparisons, which are the best available--are based on conversion tables published by the Iowa Testing Program and discussions with representatives of each state’s Department of Education—who were most cooperative and helpful.   However, let there be no doubt, Iowa’s adoption of the 40^th National Percentile Rank as its “proficiency” standard allows claiming readers as "proficient" when they are far below Iowa grade level, as shown in the chart and as discussed below.  

 Iowa’s low ‘proficiency’ standard considers 4^th graders scoring at the 3.1 Iowa grade level to be ‘proficient’ or expert 4^th grade readers!  Similarly, Iowa’s low standard considers 8^th graders scoring at the 6.9 Iowa grade level to be ’proficient’ or expert 8^th grade readers!  Iowa media news reporters have failed to report these shameful conditions to Iowans. 

Similarly, neither these reporters nor the Governor have explained why or how this low standard was adopted by officials at the DOE and Iowa Testing Program.   It is obvious these officials avoided adopting a 'grade level' proficiency standard because this would have exposed Iowa’s practice of excluding low test scores--to make Iowa schools look better.   Adopting Iowa grade level as the Iowa proficiency standard would have shown 50% or more of ALL Iowa PUBLIC SCHOOL 4^th grade students to be scoring far below grade level when tested. 

Reporting only public school students, as the State should do, would prevent use of private and home school student scores to deviously inflate State scores.