AUGUSTA – In a stinging rebuke, the federal government has found the state’s educational testing system does not meet federal standards and has docked Maine 25 percent of its administration funding.

Maine Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron called the reduction in funding “significant,” and pledged to do everything in her power to get the money restored. The penalty amounts to $113,883 and is part of a $455,532 subsidy that the state uses to help schools reach performance standards under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

“I am very confident that based on the evidence we have in hand that we will get the money back,” Gendron said Friday.

Gendron revealed the reduction during an afternoon press conference at the state capitol and said her department had 20 business days to rectify the problem. She said the state was informed of the federal Department of Education’s ruling by phone and the 20-day clock would not start ticking until she received formal notification through the mail.

“We will address the key areas they have identified,” Gendron said.

Henry L. Johnson of the U.S. Department of Education informed Gendron by fax that there were five designations for testing system compliance: full approval, full approval with recommendations, approval expected, approval pending and nonapproved. Maine was ranked as nonapproved. States determined to be nonapproved can be penalized a minimum of 10 percent or the maximum of 25 percent of their federal administrative funds. Maine received the maximum penalty.

Johnson said Maine’s 2005-06 standards and assessment system had “several fundamental components that are missing or that do not meet the statutory and regulatory requirements and that the evidence provided indicates the state will not be able to administer a fully-approved assessment” next year.

The tests are designed to measure each student’s educational progress from year to year. When asked how the state intended to do so under a nonapproved testing system, Gendron said she was confident the tests would be aligned to the standards in time for next year’s round of tests.

In order to regain the funds, the state must prove to the government’s satisfaction that the SAT test administered to all high school juniors this spring is in alignment with standards students are expected to satisfy under Maine Learning Results. The state’s learning results standards have already been approved as being in compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind requirements.

Gendron said the reading portion of the SAT aligned with the Learning Results, but that the math portion did not. She said the department had planned to provide federal educators with alignment evidence supporting the math portion in August but was now expediting that work to meet the 20-day deadline.

The state also must show that the technical quality of alternate assessments administered to grades three through eight in reading and mathematics meet grade level expectations. Alternative assessment tests are administered to special education children. Evidence supporting those tests was submitted to the government two weeks ago, Gendron said.

“We believe the combination of evidence will change Maine’s status,” she said. “We are working diligently to address the issues outlined by the department.”

Gendron has been roundly criticized for replacing the Maine Educational Assessment test with the SAT, or so-called college boards, for 11th-grade students this year. The department has argued that the SATs would inspire more high school students to attend college after graduation. However, the federal government had warned the state in advance that the decision to change to the SAT would be problematic for the state.

“Some will say ‘I told you so, commissioner,’ but I absolutely believe this is the right decision for Maine children,” Gendron said. “I am still confident we are making the right decision for our young people.”

Sen. Michael Brennan, D-Portland, has never been a fan of the federal No Child Left Behind initiative and has taken an equally dim view of the state’s decision to supplant the MEA with the SAT. Brennan said Friday that he was concerned the state was not heading in the proper direction with its testing of high school students. He described the SAT as an “aptitude test” and that peer review groups have recommended “content-driven” tests as a more effective way to measure learning progress. He said he reiterated his concerns when he spoke to Gendron earlier that day.

“I think it is alarming that we only have 20 days to avoid a nonapproved status under No Child Left Behind,” Brennan said. “Ultimately, I still do not believe that the SAT is an appropriate assessment tool. I hope the commissioner would use the information she has to step back and reconsider using the SAT.”