Joan (and anyone else interested) ..... It is true that until tests are changed, students will take them, and it is a given. That does not make the tests valid, reliable, or educational. My worry is about those who buy into the whole test game and give it more importance and meaning than it deserves. I am not saying tests should be ignored, nor am I saying that teachers should not prepare their students for the tests in some way (less is more here, in my personal opinion). I have also used released test questions in several ways... as a diagnostic, as an example, and for discussion. But too much of this, in deference to raising test scores, in place of real teaching for learning purposes, is detrimental to a students' long term education.
you say ... > We can think it is unfair that schools, districts, states, and > individual teachers are compared based on standardized tests, but in > this oh so imperfect world, it is being done. The state is mandated > to report the results. The results are published. The press (and > others) will use the statistics to support the position they hold. This is all true. At the same time, I feel it is the job of educators to educate parents, the press, and society at large to the limitations of testing. the false interpretation of test scores, and the downright lies that are out there about test results. Notice that I said "educators" and not "teachers" because I think superintendents should be the front line here. But there are precious few superintendents speaking out against testing. you say ... > I don't want to bat my head against the wall about things that I can't > change. There is that prayer (AA, I think) that reflects this. I love the Serenity Prayer. I have an embroidered version hanging on the wall of my entryway and I use it in my daily living (although I have never been an alcoholic haha). I think these things CAN be changed, but it takes time, solidarity, education, will, and research. Most teachers simply don't have time to do their own research or even to comb through raw numbers but it doesn't take a tremendous amount of time to write a letter to a local paper when something is reported falsely, or to talk to our own friends, relatives, and neighbors when they make statements like "Students in the United States are falling behind everyone else." We should not let those statements go by without comment, even if we are not sure whether or not they are true. When I hear statements like this, I always ask, "Where did you hear that?" or "How do you know this?" or even "According to whom, and what measure?" Often the source is a sound bite from television news or a short, sensational article in the newspaper. I have been known to pull out some of those released questions and actually show them to friends, and have gotten some pretty surprised responses. People are especially surprised to find out that in the second grade math test, students are *read* the questions aloud, do not have the questions in front of them, and need to figure out the correct answer. I have actually read the questions to grown adults and they have stared at me, wanting me to read it again (not allowed) or to read it themselves (also not allowed) and then I point out to them that second graders are seven years old. They just shake their heads and say, "well that's not fair" and I nod. These are things the general public doesn't know, but they should. You say..... > > In my situation, there are certain givens that I might not like, but > that as a teacher in my district and state, I have to follow. I can > work to change them, but until they are changed, I have to accept > them. There are other things that are important to me professionally > that I won't give up. I have to work to be able to > combine the two. I will never accept that discrete test scores are a valid reflection of a student's ability, grade level, or proficiency. I have seen too many students bubble incorrect answers to questions that I KNOW they know the answers to when they are working in an authentic setting (i.e., reading a real book, or figuring out the answer to a math problem). I will always remember two of my certified gifted students (two different years): A third grade boy who read National Geographic for fun, with good comprehension, who tested "below basic" because the test bored him so he just bubbled in whatever, and the little second grade girl who was very methodical and a slow worker, who broke down and cried at the second page of the math test when she could not keep up with the oral reading of the questions. She simply quit and did not finish the test. These are students I observed myself, and there are thousands of stories out there just like this. This is something else people need to know. We have people advocating for more accountability and more testing who know nothing about children, either developmentally or academically. So it is up to teachers to defend the students. Of course we need to do our jobs, do what we are paid to do, administer the tests we are supposed to administer. But we do not need to accept that because we give a test, that that test is a valid measure of a students' learning, and especially when said test scores are used as sole reasons to retain students, target them for intervention, keep them from graduating from high school, or denying them a diploma. My problem is with administrators who buy into testing "because we have to" without working to change it. I think we can realize that some things must be done whether we want to or not, but we don't have to assume that things we are asked to do are all valid, reliable, right, or educational. You described your intervention strategies for students with problems. The "reading comprehension" part of this thread is that there are many teachers out there, more and more of them each year, who are not allowed to stray from the teachers' manual. As teachers we need to do what we are told or face sanctions of some kind, and that's why I hold administrators accountable for this kind of madness. But I also worry about teachers who think following a teacher's manual to the letter is going to meet the needs of all students. At the same time that we introduce released questions to students to help them see what the test will look like, we need to keep at the forefront the reality that many of those questions are simply ridiculous. If a second grader cannot correctly divide a word in the right place (several questions on this!) does that mean he/she is not a proficient reader or writer? I think one has nothing to do with the other. And that's my objection to holding up test scores and percentages as evidence of a students' learning. you say... > This summer, I am thinking about two things: How can I help my > students who don't use the strategies even though they "know" them. > Secondly, I want to strengthen my writing program. I think many of those who advocate for more testing and more accountability simply want students to "know" things, while people interested in wider ranges of measures want students to "use" what they know. and... > I'm not sure what will happen next year because we are going to have > to much more closely adhere to HM than we have in the past. I'll do > the best I can. Presumably, we all do the best we can. That's why I think discussions like this are important, and are directly related to reading comprehension in the wider sense of the learning process. And I don't think we are disagreeing. :-) Renee "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." ~ Voltaire _______________________________________________ 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.
