Renee, I agree with you that the test scores are given an overblown importance in the media and elsewhere.
I responded to Kristin's message about the test. The test CA students take (STAR) is not a norm-referenced test. It is the % the children got correct. So, theoretically, in an all-perfect world, every child could get 100%. (A few grades take the CAT 6 test in addition to the STAR test.) I was only talking about the STAR test. However, there is a problem with reading in our country. The evidence shows up outside the tests in real life situations. I'm not blaming anyone -- certainly not teachers. I think, however, we have to admit there is a problem. We are not meeting the needs of too many children. I'm looking to my own teaching -- not casting stones at anyone else. What can I do to help the students in my class who are not proficient readers? When I looked at the test results for my class, I pretty much agreed with the results. I knew which students were the best readers in my class and they did the best. I knew which students were struggling, and the STAR tests confirmed my data. I don't think that blindly following the HM teachers manual is the answer In fact, I don't think there in any one correct answer. However, I don't want to stick my head in the dirt and ignore the fact that there is a problem. I want to help all my students become successful readers. I also don't want to pat myself on the back as say, "Wow, my kids did so much better than most students in the state and district." and just forget about those 6 students who didn't do as well as the other 14. ----- Original Message ----- From: Renee Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2007 7:54 AM To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Students who don't learn to read Kristin, Thanks for this post. So many people don't realize how little the test scores mean, especially the media. We are bombarded with sound bites about underperforming schools and non-proficient students and people just suck it up because it seems to feed some underlying (and sometimes not so underlying) disrespect of teachers, schools, and education in general. They grab on to these numbers and yell, "See??? Bad Schools!! Bad Teachers!! Accountability!!! Standards!!! and the average person on the street..... and, I'm sorry to say, many teachers..... don't even realize where these numbers come from. And they never, ever, ever seem to question the **Almighty Test** which is given a pass even though there are many documented instances in the last several years of mistakes in scoring, mistakes in reporting, etc. And when was the last time you heard anyone in the media state to the public that the test MAKERS do not advocate using test scores to make high-stakes decisions? It's all so disgusting. Renee On Jul 20, 2007, at 6:55 PM, Kristin Kaczmarek wrote: > I have to weigh on this one!! The CAT6 is a > norm-referenced test, which means that 50% of the > students taking it HAVE TO FAIL. The test is designed > to do this. Here is a little more info. > Can all the children score above average? > > "Politicians often call for all students to score > above the national average. This is not possible. > NRTs (norm-referenced tests) are constructed so that > half the population is below the mid-point or average > score. Expecting all students to be above the fiftieth > percentile is like expecting all teams in a basketball > league to win more than half their games. However, > because the tests are used for years and because > schools teach to them, there are times when far more > than half the students score above average." - > http://www.fairtest.org/facts/nratests.html > > We have to be very careful when talking about tests. > Some states like CA use norm-referenced tests, which > means you will always have 50% or so fail. While > other states use standards-based or > criteria-referenced tests which do not force failing. > This is the real reason why NCLB is a problem. We are > not comparing the same things when we compare states! > > I urge everyone to read and understand about the > test(s) their district or state gives, so that we can > truly understand what the scores of our students mean > and don't mean!!! > Kristin > > > --- Joan Matuga wrote: > > However, look at these results for the state tests >> for students in my school: 38% of students in >> second grade, 51% in third grade, 34% in fourth >> grade, 44% in fifth grade, and 28% in sixth grade >> are basic or below basic on the state tests. These >> % are far, far, far, above the state % for >> proficient and advanced. The % figures for the >> state of California for basic and below basic are as >> follows for Language Arts: Gr2: 53%; Gr3 63%; >> Gr4: 51%; Gr5: 57%; Gr6: 59%. These % scare >> me. > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ > mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
