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A longtime friend on the school board of one of the largest school systems in America did something that few public servants are willing to do. He took versions of his state’s high-stakes standardized math and reading tests for 10th graders, and said he’d make his scores public.
By any reasonable measure, my friend is a success. <snip> He called me the morning he took the test to say he was sure he hadn’t done well, but had to wait for the results. A couple of days ago, realizing that local school board members don’t seem to be playing much of a role in the current “reform” brouhaha, I asked him what he now thought about the tests he’d taken.
I understand the gist of his reasoning, but I do see the benefit of testing high school students. What other accountability tools do we have?
So every high school graduate and grade promotion prior to standardized testing had no accountability and their diplomas / promotions should be considered invalid?
Um. Here's my problem with that. I was in school, my mind was on those matters, we were in study mode in general, we were covering subjects, and I was preparing for those kinds of tests. If I tried to take the SAT or, god help me, the MCAT again NOW (19 and 15 years later), I am sure the scores would be VERY different.
Um. Here's my problem with that. I was in school, my mind was on those matters, we were in study mode in general, we were covering subjects, and I was preparing for those kinds of tests. If I tried to take the SAT or, god help me, the MCAT again NOW (19 and 15 years later), I am sure the scores would be VERY different.
I agree. We had standardized tests all the way back to 1st grade when I was in school, the difference was that the school wasn't blamed if the special ed kids that can't feed themselves can't pass those tests--heck, back then common sense prevailed and people realized that they couldn't pass the test so they were not REQUIRED to take the test. The tests were used to mark INDIVIDUAL progress through school. The current system measures how this year's class did compared to last year's class. That tells you NOTHING about progress.
I also know that I don't use advanced math on a daily basis so some of the principals tested I would not remember. I also know that if given a couple weeks to study, knowing what concepts are on the test, I am pretty confident I could pass those tests with a very high score. It's just a matter of waking up brain cells from 30 years ago.
I also know that if I don't know the answer to something at work, I know HOW to find that answer and that is just as important.
So every high school graduate and grade promotion prior to standardized testing had no accountability and their diplomas / promotions should be considered invalid?
Standardized testing isn't new, it's been around for 50 years. The SAT is one version. But, 50 years ago, college wasn't the norm. Grade inflation wasn't rampant, and we didn't have kids being handed a high school diploma only to begin college in remedial classes.
I understand the gist of his reasoning, but I do see the benefit of testing high school students. What other accountability tools do we have?
I think that we should allow teachers to evaluate their students with tests, papers, quizzes, class participation, etc. I don't think the standardized tests are necessary.
I think that we should allow teachers to evaluate their students with tests, papers, quizzes, class participation, etc. I don't think the standardized tests are necessary.
Standardized tests are very helpful for schools on an individual basis to measure individual student progress, and to measure teachers, when used properly. The same test needs to be given year after year and you need to measure each student's individual progress from year to year for them to be of benefit. In our school the results are sent home and we can check to make sure our kids are still on track. If we say one year where they scored abnormally low, for example, I would be concerned. If all the kids in one class (elementary school, one teacher) scored very low, that would indicate that the teacher is not doing the job, for example.
When EVERYTHING is riding on a test that different students are taking every year and ALL students are required to take the test and a school is labeled as "failing" because a handful of kids can't pass the test, that is where standardized tests are not helpful.
Standardized testing isn't new, it's been around for 50 years. The SAT is one version. But, 50 years ago, college wasn't the norm. Grade inflation wasn't rampant, and we didn't have kids being handed a high school diploma only to begin college in remedial classes.
The IOWA was not a criteria for graduation either. Standardized tests are just a means of shifting the blame to teachers and way from students.
As for adults taking a standardized test, if they were exposed to the material prior to taking the test, they should do alright. Obviously an adult cannot go in and take a biology test without some preparation.
I think that we should allow teachers to evaluate their students with tests, papers, quizzes, class participation, etc. I don't think the standardized tests are necessary.
I do. Let me explain why. Colleges and State governments are looking at studens from tens of thousands of high schools each with a different quality student body, different level of achievement, different grading criteria, different teachers, different levels of effectiveness in gaming the system etc. Because of this incredible diversity between different high schools there is no standard measure besides a standardized test. What might get you an A at one school may be a C at another. A student who is in the top 10% of her class at one high school may not be as competative at another and so on and so forth.
Basically standardized tests allow a uniform, if imperfect, measure of performance across the entire country, or state.
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