On 6/28/09, mark wrote:
> On 6/28/09, rich wrote:
>
> A very... optimistic view of standardized academic tests. Not
> necessarily accurate, but optimistic.
I'd say you have a rather optimistic view of interviewing. Of course
it's an idealized description. But the point is your comparision is
faulty.
>> Standardized interviews: measures judgements, values, beliefs, and
>> reactions which cannot be accurately normed against a standard.
>
> No. They can and are normed against a preferred standard for
> judgements, values, beliefs, and reactions. This standardized
interview is to find people who share these beliefs, values, etc.
And your belief and value systems are ultimately determined by your
background and culture. Prove to me that one value system is the only
one that works in a classroom, especially a diverse classroom.
>> Would you like
>> a fluently bilingual Chinese math teacher? Wouldn't that be a great
>> asset to your math department?
>
> No, not at all. My district has nearly no native Chinese speaking
> students. The few we do have, speak English better than most native
> speakers.
But why would you not want a teacher from a county who seems to know
what it takes to teach math, as China constantly mops the floor with our
math students? Wouldn't that be a way to consider the students' best
interests, an interest in their need to learn math? But Chinese
teaching is pretty teacher-centered, and I imagine the Chinese would
completely flub the TI.
As that the test data is
> proprietary information, you would have to go to court and obtain a
> subpoena to see such data to even to begin to make such a
determination.
Kinda convenient, isn't it?
> Without the politically correct BS, here's what most districts want:
> Basically, that's a pliable, student centered teacher who will give a
> special ed kid a D when he hasn't done anything the whole year. Its
[It's] someone who will differentiate and not teach to the middle of the
class. Its [It's] someone who will let a kid draw a picture of a main
character, and that earns a passing grade on a book report. Its [It's]
someone who will fail less than 5 percent of their students, in high
school, and someone who will not fail anyone except an extreme truant in
MS and Elem. Its [It's] someone who will do English test prep in
History and follow the curriculum they set forth, and happily take 2
days to teach the Civil War in June while spending 2 months on Native
American culture. Its [It's] someone who will play ball and do whatever
they're told. Its [It's] legal to look for employees like that.
Thank you for your honesty. This is what I suspected. Mind you that
being "pliable" and "playing ball" are ultimately in the school's best
interest, and not the student's. So the TI doesn't really screen for a
student-centered individual at all. Who benefits from making a super-
easy book-report-drawing that takes no time to grade? The teacher.
I've taken classes from teachers like this, who pass off their basic
laziness and lack of subject matter knowledge as concern for the
students. You're adults. I don't keep attendance. (I don't want to
keep records.) The book is no good, save your money and don't buy it.
(I don't want to read the book and it would take time to create lessons
around it.) I don't believe in traditional tests, they don't help
students. (I don't want to keep a gradebook.) Let's all do group
projects and your group will teach the class for a day. That way you'll
be involved in your education. (That way it's harder for you to nail my
teaching on an evaluation and I will do less teaching.) Total teacher-
centeredness.
I have gone to bat for my students again and again, and it shows in my
student evaluations. My students appreciate my explanations. They
appreciate that I don't want anyone to feel lost and monitor the class
to make sure that doesn't happen. They comment that I love what I am
doing and that makes them enjoy the class. They comment that I make
them feel comfortable and I am always in the mood to help. I think it
would be hard for me to be more of an advocate for my students. But
apparently, that's not what the TI is looking for.
>> Is there an administrator version of the TI?
>
> Yes. No, you can't have it.
What I mean is, are administrators hired with the same kind of
instruments?
You're still treating the TI as an interview. I realize that it's legal
to find ways of determining who's a good fit for a situation. (And how
does a one-fits-all test do that, exactly?) But an assessment with
questions, answer choices, and a score looks more like a test. Tests
are different. A civil service exam can be retaken and disputed. It
cannot disciminate. It must be related to the content of the job. The
districts really want to eat their cake and have it too. They want the
legal protection of an interview, but they want to score and eliminate
with a test.
Around the globe, they could care about teacher or student
centeredness. Here, it's a dealbreaker, and we continue to lag behind.
