Although the PSSA exams in reading and math are given every year in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11, writing and science are assessed in varying school years. Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 are assessed in writing. Students in grades 4, 8 and 11 are assessed in science. Individual scores are reported only to the schools where the students attend, but the state-wide aggregate scores for each grade level are broken down by grade, gender, ethnic background and socio-economic background, and Title I and III classifications and are available online at education.state.pa.us.
Controversy has arisen because of the fluctuation of schools' average scores and the wide margin of error. In education, a standardized test margin of error is considered acceptable if it is 5 percent or less using populations of over 100 people. Statistically, a large test population reduces the chance for error in score reporting. In Pennsylvania, the score results are often considered unreliable because the numbers of students tested at different schools fluctuate too greatly and results may indicate a margin of error of over 100 percent.
For example, scores for as few as 24 students indicated that a school had not met the state standard while another school's 500 plus fifth graders where considered better performers but also didn't meet the standard. The school that only had 24 students tested in the fifth grade had test results indicating that the entire fifth grade was sub-standard. However, a review of individual results showed that only one student did not do well. Those results were considered unreliable because too few students at that school were tested. The other school that tested over 500 fifth grade students came in with a higher overall average but still did not make the state's academic goal. However, since over 500 students were tested, the scores are considered more reliable.
Besides the problem with class size fluctuations, there is concern that the tests really do not measure how well the schools are teaching the standards especially when it comes to special education students who are also required to take the exam. Originally, the problems were so vast numerous lawsuits were filed by parents and educators. As of 2008, special education students are now entitled to four possible accommodations when tested. Presentation accommodations can be made to allow students to access print information by alternative modes that can be auditory, multi-sensory, tactile and visual. Response accommodations allow the students to complete the assessments using different methods including assistive devices. Setting accommodations allow for a location change for testing or a change of the conditions of the assessment setting. Timing/scheduling accommodations allow the assessment time to be lengthened and, if necessary, change the way the time is organized. With the new accommodations, special education students are being assessed more correctly, but many educators and parents are still concerned that the tests don't truly measure a student's mastery of the standards.
Students who are English language learners (ELL) also have to be tested and, although they are not tested in all areas, the concern is still there that the test does not measure their true abilities. Under the Pennsylvania guidelines, students can opt out of taking the reading assessment but they must take the math and science tests with accommodations. Since the scores for the special education population and the ELL group are considered in determining whether or not a school has met the academic standard, controversy still occurs. Consequently, many are still not convinced that the PSSA accurately measures how well the schools are teaching the standards.
Even though there are problems with margin of error and true student knowledge measurement, many schools are using the data results to determine the budget for curriculum and instruction. However, if the test does not adequately gauge the improvement of a school the question arises concerning whether or not the collected date is the proper tool to drive curriculum and fund academic programs.