An archived stack of papers: 'Testing'
New Test Items
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Oct
- 10
- 2009
Every time you create a new test item, a new way to assess knowledge, what do you do? How do you step kids into that new item type, one they may not have seen before, in order to make sure you’re assessing exactly what you want to assess (content-area skill) and not something accidental (test-taking prowess)? I spent about two hours on Wednesday figuring out how to handle this situation. What... read more
Too Legit To Quit?
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Sep
- 07
- 2008
My school met AYP and API. However, due to some subgroups not meeting their goals, we missed APR. And, good news, we’re still not a PI school. But we’re a PI district so we have to behave as if we are a PI... read more
Interpretive Standards
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Feb
- 08
- 2007
If standards are there to improve the level of education delivered and to act as a kind of teacher report card once we measure student ability to perform those standards, those standards better be exact and not open to interpretation. Good for objective classes, terrible for subjective ones.
Writing Strategies, standard 1.9 says
Revise text to highlight the individual voice,... read more
One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Problems With NCLB
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Jan
- 28
- 2007
There’s a large problem with the English California Standards Tests (CST). These tests come to students every year around April and are the result of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), better known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). [Update: This same problem applies to Social Science since those questions are handed out by grade level, not be course enrolled... read more
The Usefulness Of Testing
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Jan
- 07
- 2007
Test data becomes useful when it does a few things. I do not believe that any standardized test currently given in my state does these things. If we found a test that could do even half of these, I’d be ecstatic.
Test results rock when:
measuring what is taught, not the other way around; teachers get them in time to inform the current year’s... read more
AYP, API, And Horse Pucky
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Oct
- 05
- 2006
Two observations from this past Wednesday’s inservice. We spent the time talking about and looking at some test data, specifically with regard to our AYP. We did not make our AYP. Adequate Yearly Progress, that sounds like a horrible thing to miss. These two observations are about why we missed that AYP and they are both incredibly ridiculous,... read more
If Not The CAHSEE, Then What?
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Aug
- 22
- 2006
The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is not perfect. It lacks modifications for special education students. It fails to take into consideration the multiple ways students grow. Nor does it acknowledge the disparity in learning environments that exist across the state. The CAHSEE has problems.
But am I really to believe that it is entirely a terrible idea? Is there nothing good about the... read more
An Open Letter About STAR Testing
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Apr
- 10
- 2006
Dear Student:
We begin STAR testing tomorrow. You just finished with the CAHSEE a few weeks ago, the AP tests are around the corner, and you know that semester finals aren’t too far off. In short, there’s hella... read more
HSEE
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Mar
- 20
- 2006
Does the existence of a high school exit exam imply that there should be a whole host of other tests? If students take a test to prove that they can leave high school, shouldn’t they have to take a test to prove they can enter? A High School Entrance Exam (HSEE)?
Even if a freshman has low skills, if s/he isn’t a special education or English language learner student, the schedule will... read more
Standardize Students
In a stack of papers called Testing.
- Mar
- 19
- 2006
One student learned very little during the first 8 years of his free education, before reaching high school. Neither a special education student nor an English language learner, that student would be placed into English 1/9 at my school, together with several other freshmen. That student would be woefully unprepared.
Another student walks onto campus ready to pass the California High School Exit... read more