State Superintendent explains why reading test cut score was lowered for Alabama third graders

    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) -- The Alabama Department of Education is making a change to its reading proficiency tests, and it’s got parents asking if the state is going too easy on students. They feel dropping the score is needed for students.

Some people accused the state of lowering what it calls a cut score for third graders taking the state reading test, but State Superintendent Eric Mackey said that’s wrong.

Mackey said the state actually changed the test when the Literacy Act was passed meaning the test given in 2021 was different than the test given in 2022. He said the design of the test was changed to better align with what education officials call the science of reading or how reading is taught. Because of those changes, Mackey explains a new test was rolled out in 2023 and the cut score was changed to match the new test.

“The cut score for 2023 to 2024, I think we were like 17% last year and it’s 9% this year,” Mackey said. “Those are the same. One of the things that confused people was you can’t set a cut score until you have the results.”

Mackey said the cut score is decided by statisticians who make sure students will be ready for the next grade level.

“There are different skills in second grade and third grade,” he said. “If we said the cut score in second grade is going to be exactly equal to the cut score in third grade, we’d be lying to parents because we have to look at what’s the score that’s necessary for children to be on grade level to move next.”

Mackey said parents were also concerned because the state education department sent letters home to them. He explains the letters said their students needed to be in summer reading camp but that was also wrong because that decision was made based on the old cut score.