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Utah board says 2019 RISE results may be published after review of test interruptions
Summary
A presenter told the Utah State Board of Education that multiple studies and staff analyses found the 2019 RISE results valid at aggregate levels despite vendor delivery problems in 2018–2019; review panels recommended using the results for accountability, though individual student impacts were acknowledged.
An unidentified presenter for the Utah State Board of Education said board-directed reviews concluded that the 2019 results from the RISE assessments can be published and used for state accountability.
The presenter said third- through eighth-grade students take spring tests aligned to the Utah Core Standards and that the 2018 and 2019 administrations of RISE were affected by vendor delivery-software problems. “The vendor's delivery software experienced a variety of problems, including times where students were unable to submit test sessions or access scheduled tests,” the presenter said.
To determine whether those interruptions affected reported outcomes, the board directed multiple studies, the presenter said. Educational Testing Services (ETS) conducted a test-interruption study that the Center for Assessment validated to assess effects on student proficiency scores. The Center for Assessment also conducted a study on student growth percentiles that examined the impact of removing writing from the ELA scale score and other assessment changes.
USBE staff supplemented those analyses by reviewing descriptive administration data, including participation codes, test resets and transfers, above-grade administrations, test attempts and system logins, the presenter said. Those study results were then reviewed by the assessment and accountability policy advisory committee and the technical assistance committee and taken before the board on Oct. 3 for consideration.
“All groups involved in the studies recommended moving forward with using the results for the intended purposes,” the presenter said, while acknowledging that “some individual students were negatively impacted by the delivery system problems.” At the aggregate level, the presenter said, the studies indicate valid data at the state, local education agency and school levels.
The presenter noted that many districts extended testing windows and that more students completed and submitted tests during the 2019 administration than in the prior three years. The statement credited Utah teachers’ role in minimizing the interruptions’ impact and emphasized that, as with any single data source, RISE results should be considered alongside other available evidence.
No formal vote or motion to publish the results is recorded in the transcript; the presenter directed listeners to the Utah State Board of Education website for additional information on RISE.
