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Missouri's Senate votes to lower lower statewide achievement test reporting standards

February 17, 2004
By: Cliff Judy
State Capital Bureau

Missouri's Senate has voted to block statewide assesment standards from exceeding federal requirements. Cliff Judy has more from the state Capitol.

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Adjusting the testing standards will help avoid federal funding cuts under the No Child Left Behind law.

The bill's sponsor, Repbulican Sen. Gary Nodler, argues this is not a matter of lowering standards but merely correcting how the state views student scores.

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Contents: Nodler says, "I'd use the analogy of a speedometer on an automobile. This bill is about making sure that the speedometer is properly reading the speed at which the automobile travels. It doesn't determine whether it's going faster or slower."

The measure passed by the Senate will bring the state's testing standards down to the same level required by the federal No Child Left Behind law. From the state Capitol, I'm Cliff Judy.

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Missouri's Senate has voted to lower the standards for the statewide student achievement test. Cliff Judy is in Jefferson City with the story.

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Republican Senator Gary Nodler, sponsor of the bill, claims it will help to better assess student scores.

Nodler outlined why he thought students, teachers, and school administrators are among the big winners of the bill's passage.

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Contents: Nodler says, "Because with this bill in place, by 2006, we will have instruments developed that will accurately measure how well our students are and where they are in educational progression."

The new bill requires that the state not set higher standards than the requirements made by the federal No Child Left Behind law. From the state Capitol, I'm Cliff Judy.

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The Missouri Senate has given first round approval to a bill that would lower the standards for the statewide achievement test. Cliff Judy has more from the state Capitol.

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Republican Gary Nodler is the sponsor of the bill.

Nodler says the current testing standards are misleading and don't accurately reflect student achievement.

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Contents: Nodler says, "It causes, in some instances, Missouri students who are performing fully at their grade level to be reported as if they are not performing fully at their grade level, and that's a detriment."

At least one senator voiced concerns about the bill, saying it infringes on state rights. The bill prohibits the state from setting standards higher than levels set by the federal No Child Left Behind law. From the state Capitol, I'm Cliff Judy.

The Missouri Senate has given first round approval to a bill that will lower requirements for the statewide student achievement test. Cliff Judy is in Jefferson City with the story.
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Republican Senator Gary Nodler, the bill's sponsor, says the current higher testing standards in Missouri don't just have a negative effect in the state.

Nodler says the higher standards create a false report that can change the average around the nation.

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Contents: Nodler says, "That false report not only affects Missouri, it affects the United States. It makes the American educational performance appear lower than it actually is because the reports that go into Washington do not grade on the curve.

Under Nodler's bill, the federal No Child Left Behind law would now be the highest testing standard the state could use. From the state Capitol, I'm Cliff Judy.