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What's up with people just posting links as new threads? At least have something to say about it. I'm just going to start making a bunch of new threads with links in them.
I always figured that the standardized tests were just remarkable ways to make money- bank on all the kids being told they need to go to college, so come up with a few tests they HAVE to take to get in.. then start making the test booklets, gathering test material, and make "special" bubble-in answer sheets.
I once worked as a temp grading standardized tests. It was monotonous boring work and there was a lot of room for error. I cannot see how the test results could have been accurate across the board as there was too much room for error and subjectivity.
I don't know what the solution is to this. Standardized tests that are all multiple choice are not a good indication of student understanding of content. So they put short answer and extended response type questions on the test and somebody has to grade them. You can't have a machine grading student writing.
This is exactly why I don't believe that standardized tests should be used to measure a teacher's success. Two different people reading the exact same student essay can score it completely different. I don't want my evaluation based on what someone thinks of a writing piece.
I don't know what the solution is to this. Standardized tests that are all multiple choice are not a good indication of student understanding of content. So they put short answer and extended response type questions on the test and somebody has to grade them. You can't have a machine grading student writing.
This is exactly why I don't believe that standardized tests should be used to measure a teacher's success. Two different people reading the exact same student essay can score it completely different. I don't want my evaluation based on what someone thinks of a writing piece.
Quote:
It was monotonous boring work and there was a lot of room for error. I cannot see how the test results could have been accurate across the board as there was too much room for error and subjectivity.
There are rubrics which determine how to score the essay. More than one person scores each essay based on the rubric of the specific test. It is not subjective by any means. If you follow the rubric exactly, there should not be major discrepancies in scores.
However, there is a trick to each essay, in terms of how to get a high score. Some of it is absolutely ridiculous. If teachers "taught to the essay," scores would go up, but even essays scored "high" are not necessarily "good."
I once worked as a temp grading standardized tests. It was monotonous boring work and there was a lot of room for error. I cannot see how the test results could have been accurate across the board as there was too much room for error and subjectivity.
That's why I tend to believe anecdotal evidence more than statistical evidence.
When a child can get on the honor roll despite not being capable of dividing two simple numbers accurately on a fairly consistent basis, or to competently discern between *lose* and *loose* or *they're, their and there* - Houston, we have a problem IMO.
There are rubrics which determine how to score the essay. More than one person scores each essay based on the rubric of the specific test. It is not subjective by any means. If you follow the rubric exactly, there should not be major discrepancies in scores.
However, there is a trick to each essay, in terms of how to get a high score. Some of it is absolutely ridiculous. If teachers "taught to the essay," scores would go up, but even essays scored "high" are not necessarily "good."
No, the tests were graded by individuals, there was not more then one person grading each tests.
Imagine yourself sitting in a huge warehouse filled with temps where you grade the same exact essay test over and over and over again from 8AM to 5PM 5 days a week. The testing is meant to be graded objectively but it's just not possible. A grader who sees the tests at 8am on Monday morning is going to view things differently then if they saw the exact same test on Friday afternoon at 4PM. The monotony of the grading can really take away from the graders ability to grade each test in the exact same way every single time. Essay tests cannot be graded 100% objectively anyway, there is always room for subjectivity.
That's why I tend to believe anecdotal evidence more than statistical evidence.
When a child can get on the honor roll despite not being capable of dividing two simple numbers accurately on a fairly consistent basis, or to competently discern between *lose* and *loose* or *they're, their and there* - Houston, we have a problem IMO.
Life is not like K-12. Sadly many find out too late.
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