I am so proud of Palm Beach County Schools as a result of reading
Laura Green’s article on classroom testing. This is an impressive step towards
much
needed grassroots reform in teaching.
“Hernandez attributed the change to feedback from parents,
teachers and administrators. After school board members were inundated with
hundreds of frustrated e-mails, more than 2,000 people joined an opposition
Facebook group and teachers shouted at Hernandez during a union meeting, the
district began holding focus groups to gauge the mood and get constructive
feedback” (Palm Beach Post, Friday. October 9, 2009).
As a teacher educator, I recognize the value of employing assessments
to lead instruction. However, norm-referenced test scores do little to
diagnosis student needs. Instead, the pressures of high-stakes tests have
plagued students, teachers, and schools across the nation. Blind faith in
standardized
test scores is relied upon to make life altering decisions such as student
graduation eligibility, teacher pay, school funding, school district ratings,
and real estate values.
I have become a sounding board for many frustrated teachers
who spend considerable time, money, and effort to earn advanced degrees.
Unfortunately
many policy makers do not recognize or utilize the talents of these
well-educated
professionals. Instead many administrators are forced to make schools and
learning “teacher-proof” by instituting and requiring an increasing number of
standardized
tests. These20tests have created a pressure cooker atmosphere in the classroom
and cost taxpayers billions.
“The US Department of Education is offering 650 million to fund innovations that might work or
that have been shown to work ("Will offer grants for innovative ideas," Oct. 7). At the same timetheir
"first priority" will cost hundreds of billions and doesn't work: Imposing new standards and vastly increasing standardized testing. There is, in fact, evidence that excessive focus on standardand testing has a negative effect, converting instruction into test-preparation”
(Stephen Krashen
NY Times, Oct 7, 2009).
I
hope this small step begins a trend towards reversing the current pressure on
teachers to “teach to the test” instead of teaching our students in the
classroom.
Philomena
Philomena Marinaccio-Eckel, Ph.D.
Florida Atlantic University
Dept. of Teaching and Learning
College of Education
2912 College Ave. ES 214
Davie, FL 33314
Phone: 954-236-1070
Fax: 954-236-1050
-----Original Message-----
From: EDWARD JACKSON <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tue, Oct 6, 2009 10:05 pm
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Mosaic Digest, Vol 38, Issue 5
I don't see the point of spelling tests. Unit tests shoul
d measure what we think
is important...and if it is important enough to measure, isn't important enough
to remeasure?
Lori Jackson M.Ed.Reading Specialist
Broken Bow, NE
EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD
Join me
> Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 00:56:18 +0000
> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Mosaic Digest, Vol 38, Issue 5
>
> Lori, I completely agree with you about the common sense of allowing retests.
On the other hand, particularly thinking of our classroom tests on spelling or
the end of a unit in math or science, I'm wondering if retakes don't give the
test more importance than it merits.
> Does that make sense?
> Your fan,
> Judy
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "EDWARD JACKSON" <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 3:57:45 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Mosaic Digest, Vol 38, Issue 5
>
>
> I vote in favor of retakes. If our goal is to understand and master material,
it seems to me to fly in the face of common sense not to allow learners to
revisit materials in hopes of gaining understanding. Lawyers can take the bar
multiple times. Drivers can retake their driving exams. My college minded son
will take the ACT more than once. Teachers taking the Praxis get retakes.
> However, if a test is intended only to measure a child as if he or she is a
pot of boiling water, then I supp
ose some argument might be made against
retesting.
>
>
> Lori Jackson M.Ed.Reading Specialist
> Broken Bow, NE
>
>
>
>
>
>
> EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD
> Join me
>
>> Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:45:08 -0400
>> To: [email protected]
>> From: [email protected]
>> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Mosaic Digest, Vol 38, Issue 5
>>
>> If you have an opinion please respond.
>> Why should or shouldn't teachers give re-takes on tests/assessments?
>>
>> Sophia Whittaker, NBCT
>> Media Specialist
>> Gator Run Elementary
>> 1101 Glades Parkway
>> Weston, FL 33327
>> 754-323-5850
>> http://teacherweb.com/FL/GatorRunElementary/MrsWhittaker/
>>
>> "Act as though what you do makes a difference. It does" William James
>>
>> The School Board of Broward County, Florida expressly prohibits bullying,
>> including cyberbullying, by or towards any student or employee. (See
>> Policy 5.9: "Anti-Bullying" for additional information.)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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>>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
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>
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>
> _______________________________________________
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> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
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>
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