I'm reading responses and just can't stop thinking about our dilemma. I wonder if anyone else is in the situation we're in. Our school district decided to abandon the Terra Nova or any other nationally-normed achievement test. Instead our kids take Levels tests out of NWEA. There are a number of issues with that decision: it's primarily a vocabulary test, it's (in my opinion) biased, and a number of other deep issues. But what I'd like to ask you about is the fact that it is all done on the computer. Here are some issues that arise because of that: you can't teach any typical test-taking strategies because it's linear and you can't go back; prime test-taking time for any given class of kids has little relevance because the whole school has to be scheduled for the lab and, of course, that means only one class is testing at a time; keys falling off computers; running out of battery in the middle of the test; and you don't even want me to go on!! Does anyone else face this situation and, if so, how do you make it better for the kids? Thanks.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello, my name is Amy Goodman and I am taking Nancy Creech's summer reading comprehension class. I will be graduating after completing student-teaching in the fall and couldn't be more excited to finally begin teaching and hopefully making the difference we all dream to make. The Mosaic of Thought strategies have changed the way I look at reading and reading comprehension. I hope to make use of these strategies throughout my teaching career in every aspect and content area of learning. I understand that these strategies have even been put to use when preparing students for standardized testing. My question then, is how much do we stray from class content to cover "standardized testing content"? As a new teacher I am at a loss between the two. Any suggestions or ideas on how to prepare for standardized tests without "straying too far" or cutting too much course content? Thank you in advance for your help, advice, and expertise. ~Amy Goodman _________________________________________________________________ Tease your brain--play Clink! Win cool prizes! http://club.live.com/clink.aspx?icid=clink_hotmailtextlink2 _______________________________________________ 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.
