Thoughts on Testing
http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Szabo,%20Susan%20STARR%20Reading%20Passages%20-%20The%20Readability%20is%20to%20High%20Schooling%20V3%20N1%202012.pdf
Ashley posted this piece about the reading level that the STAAR tests are written. I believe that standardized testing has a place in our schools, but I do not believe it to be the only way to evaluate our kids. I know there is much talk about standardized testing being “more fair” to all students, but writing a test above the reading level they should be at sounds evenly unfair to me. If students in 3rd grade are expected to read on a 3rd grade level, but are test questions are written on a 5th grade level, it would seem we are setting kids up to fail. Perhaps the “gifted” students in each grade will have no problem with these questions. Reading level for the test should be something the people writing the test look for, especially since it is so easy to do with reliable online tools. If we are spending so much time and money to come up with a test that is supposed to reflect student learning, it needs to be written on the correct level to accurately assess student knowledge and problem-solving skills.
Ashley posted this piece about the reading level that the STAAR tests are written. I believe that standardized testing has a place in our schools, but I do not believe it to be the only way to evaluate our kids. I know there is much talk about standardized testing being “more fair” to all students, but writing a test above the reading level they should be at sounds evenly unfair to me. If students in 3rd grade are expected to read on a 3rd grade level, but are test questions are written on a 5th grade level, it would seem we are setting kids up to fail. Perhaps the “gifted” students in each grade will have no problem with these questions. Reading level for the test should be something the people writing the test look for, especially since it is so easy to do with reliable online tools. If we are spending so much time and money to come up with a test that is supposed to reflect student learning, it needs to be written on the correct level to accurately assess student knowledge and problem-solving skills.
Every year, I dread the standardized test-giving time. As I was growing up, there was very little emphasis on it. We did not practice taking the test or bubbling to make sure we did it correctly. I understand the need for testing, but not for making it high-stakes. Not everyone tests well. That does not mean that they have not learned the material. It may be that they could present that material to you in another way, perhaps through a project or application piece. It would cost more to train people to aptly evaluate this divergent thinking, and it wouldn't be as easy to compare students across states, nations, socioeconomic status, race, gender, etc.