By Dan Modlin
Frankfort, KY – The Education Assessment and Accountability Review
Subcommittee has approved a study which will focus on
the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System. CATS
replaced the KIRIS system and was fully implemented in
Kentucky in 2002.
Several key questions will be addressed in the upcoming
survey, including "how valid are CATS scores for measuring
individual achievement---- and how reliable are the writing
portfolios?" The survey will also ask how well CATS aligns
with the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The study will be conducted by the Office of Education
Accountability, which is a branch of the Legislative
Research Commission. The CATS approach combines
writing portfolios, on-demand writing, multiple choice
questions, and open response questions. Schools have
been receiving rewards or sanctions, based on test
performance.