By Jacob Mathews | The Center Square

Criticism of over-testing and accountability standards highlighted the Louisiana House K-12 Education Study Group meeting on Monday.

Many of the complaints mirrored the same ones the superintendents and principals had last time this group met, which was the first of its kind.

The superintendents’ discourse led off with the same topic as the last: Stop over-testing.

‘We are still requiring more than what is required by the guidelines in ESA (Educational Service Agency),” said Mike Faulk, executive director of the state superintendent association.

The next biggest complaint was with accountability as it relates to standardized tests, particularly the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills test. This examination is administered to kindergarten through third grade students and assesses reading and literacy.

Brad Norris, the Iberia Parish school board president, said this test does not accurately portray a student’s reading abilities because if a student hesitates too long on a passage they can still fail for being a slow reader, even without errors.

Rep. and Committee Chairman Roger Wilder, R-Livingston, asked if the state should get rid of the test altogether. Keriann Jenkins, an elementary school teacher in Livingston Parish, answered that it could still be used for understanding student fluency, but shouldn’t be used as a measuring stick to hold teachers accountable.

Norris also explained that the literacy test is only getting pushed for public schools, not charter or home schools.

The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program test has also taken some heat in this meeting and the previous one, with principals and superintendents agreeing it is often too long or takes too many days to complete. They say their class format does not align with the LEAP.

“Let us get back to the basics and assess students on what’s taught during the current school year,” Norris said.

Rep. Dennis Bamburg, R-Bossier City, pushed back, saying that at face value it seems the students are taught the same subjects that are being tested for on the LEAP.

Norris also said that going forward, instead of comparing year to year, the accountability standards should compare assessments early in the school year with those at the middle and end of the same year.