CATSfusion About Scoring

Probably without fully understanding what they were writing, the Times Leader Online reports on January 23, 2009 that, “A state recalibration of school district scores under the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System puts the local district closer to a goal of 100 percent student proficiency by 2014.”

Imagine that. By the stroke of a pen, suddenly the local district’s schools are closer to the CATS goal. Does anyone think that paperwork shuffle suddenly changed education performance for even one single child?

It’s just what we said here and here had happened when the CATS scoring scales were reset, and further inflated, by changes in 2007.

In fact, we’ve shown in detail that CATS scoring was getting inflated even before the massive 2007 changes came along.

So, while the Times Leader actually says something that is correct, the article still doesn't seem to get it – this isn’t a sign that Kentucky public schools are getting better. It’s just more evidence that CATS is being watered down to make us think that is happening.