State board adopts 435 cut score for new third‑grade reading test after contentious debate

The Alabama State Board of Education on Sept. 14 voted to adopt a cut score of 435 for the lowest performance level on the reading subtest of the new Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program to be used in spring 2024.

State Superintendent Dr. Mackey told the board the recommendation came from the test vendor, Data Recognition Corporation, and was reviewed by the state’s technical advisory committee. "They are recommending that we adopt a cut score of 435," he said, emphasizing the change stems from a new test aligned to updated English language arts standards.

Board members split sharply over the recommendation. Opponents said the chosen threshold is too low and risks promoting students who are not proficient readers. "I am opposed to voting for the cut score that has been determined of minus 2 SEMs... I truly believe that this cut score does not represent grade level proficiency for our students," said Ms. Ziegler, a member of the Alabama State Board of Education. She added that parents and communities deserve an honest standard for what constitutes reading proficiency.

Supporters said the recommendation followed standard statistical practice and outside expertise. "If indeed, we bring people in who are to be experts... I am going to vote yes, based upon the TAC committee, people that we depend upon to give us recommendations, based upon their expertise," said Dr. Chestnut.

Why the change: the board and staff said the state is implementing a new test aligned to updated standards after recent standards revisions and earlier disruptions from the pandemic. Dr. Mackey said the state is setting a new baseline because the old cut scores were tied to an older exam that no longer aligns with current standards. He described the technical process, saying the vendor used two verification processes—statistical and with teachers—and the recommendation was verified by the technical advisory committee.

Projected impact and safeguards: Dr. Mackey said estimating retained students is complex but gave a projected baseline: "Probably around 10 to 11, 12,000 students in the first round," he said, and immediately added that many of those students would have other options such as summer retesting, good-cause exemptions through individualized education programs or portfolio assessments. He told the board staff will return next year with impact data after summer programs and retesting to allow reconsideration of the cut score.

Board directions and timeline: Dr. Mackey said the technical advisory committee will reconvene after the spring administration to review results and that staff will present impact and summer-program data to the board at next year’s work session. He asked the board to revisit the cut score after one year of implementation and additional data collection.

Outcome: The motion to adopt the resolution setting the cut score at 435 passed. The transcript record does not include a recorded roll-call tally for the vote.

Details from the discussion: - The cut score recommendation reflected a decision to use a threshold near minus-two standard errors of measurement (SEM) to increase the probability of identifying students below grade level, according to Dr. Mackey’s explanation of the statistical approach. - Several board members urged caution about moving students forward who are not reading at grade level and about ensuring supports continue beyond third grade; Dr. Mackey and others said they plan to seek legislative changes to allow Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) staff to work with older students who remain in the lowest band.

The board adopted the cut score for use in spring 2024 and directed staff to provide follow-up data and a reassessment of the threshold after one year of implementation.