If history is a predictor, these more demanding curriculum standards will materially impact student achievement. In the school year 2007-2008 when Mississippi kept the same course of study but increased the rigor of its state assessments, student scores dropped significantly (Figure 1).
Table 1: Students Passing Subject Area Tests Subject English II Algebra Biology
2005/2006 78.1%
2006/2007 77.2%
2007/2008 69.7%
2008/2009 69.0%
2009/2010 68.0%
2010/2011 71.8%
91.0% 93.3%
90.8% 92.2%
71.0% 87.9%
72.0% 87.6%
79.6% 86.2%
85.4% 73.0%
Essentially, the same teachers teaching in 2006/2007 were teaching in 2007/2008 when the achievement rates dropped. What the numbers indicate, then, is that too many teacher competencies fell short when a more rigorous assessment of student achievement was used. Consequently, student achievement measurably suffered. Even after 4 years, student achievement has not recovered, nor does it appear that teaching competencies have improved. This kind of decline is predicable in the CCSS classroom unless teacher effectiveness increases, and does so significantly and quickly. Merging the PBC system into the teacher appraisal process adds valuable impetus for teachers to increase their teaching effectiveness significantly and quickly. Will merging PBC with teacher appraisal motivate more teachers to grow more competencies in less time? Yes. Is there enough time for all teachers to prepare themselves for teaching CCSS successfully? Probably not in the 2 years when the CCSS is implemented into all classrooms. The high probability is that CCSS will negatively impact student achievement, but students will recover more quickly with more competent teachers in the queue. Extending teacher appraisal with a PBC system can help keep the queue full. The teacher evaluation process begins reforming teacher effectiveness. The CCSS introduces a more difficult curriculum that requires effective teachers for student success. Hence, these two changes are inextricably linked: failure in the first means student failure in the second. PBC is positioned to reinforce and support the teacher evaluation process, providing new fuel to this vital teacher competency growth engine.
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