On 5/24/08, NBCT on 5/16/08 wrote
>
>
> Reality Check: For most people, the AC is very stressful
> and not everyone is a great test taker. Would you fail your
> students who demonstrate their academic abilities in many
> ways using alternative assessments, but are not great test
> takers?
>

There is no scientific proof that anything called a bad test
taker actually exists. We have allowed students to do group
cheat projects and creative "alternative assessments" until
the assessment has lost any relationship to the reality of
content mastered. We give students a distorted sense of
reality when we allow "ample time" to finish all tests. In
life there are time limits and there are tests.

>
> My response to your question: Should students who work hard
> but never master the material get an A?
> You say NO, I wholeheartedly say YES! As stated before,
> each student learns differently and it is your job as a
> teacher to make sure you meet their individual need. Giving
> them a test at the end of the lesson to determine whether or
> not they mastered the material should not be your only way
> of assessing. If the "students worked hard" as you said,
> never master the material, you may need to reflect on your
> teaching. It may be your teaching styles that need
> adjusting.
>

Excuse me! You feel every child should get an A or it's the
teacher's fault! Teachers and parents like you are the reason
that U. S. students aren't cutting it in competition with the
rest of the world. We have a generation of students who
believe whatever they give you is good enough. They can't tell
mediocrity from excellence because no matter what they do they
are praised. We don't want to hurt their self-esteem. We
give every kid on the team a trophy even when they have no
athletic talent. We now give every kid a good grade even when
their academic achievement does not merit it? Lady, you're
wrong!

>
>
>
> On 5/16/08, NBCT wrote:
>> This is addressed to NBPTS candidates who did not get a
>> score of at least 275.
>>
>> I apologize for sounding cruel, but you need to ask
>> yourself if you are a "highly accomplished educator who
>> meets high and rigorous standards." These are the words of
>> NBPTS. If the sum of the your scores on the entries and
>> the assessment do not add to 275, you do not get the
>> certification. This does not mean you are not a good or
>> qualified teacher, it simply means that NBPTS does not
>> feel you are a highly accomplished teacher meeting their
>> standards. Not everybody who goes through the process
>> makes it.
>>
>> The attitude that comes across loud and clear on the
>> chatboard is, "If I spend a lot of energy and time (and
>> $$) on the National Board Certification process, I DESERVE
>> TO PASS. I think this attitude is entirely wrong.
>>
>> Should students who work hard but never master the
>> material get an A? This is happening in many schools
>> today. Not that long ago students who failed were held
>> back. "Social promotion" promotes a false sense of self-
>> esteem.
>>
>> Should everybody who works hard as a pre-med in college be
>> accepted to medical school? If all of these people were
>> accepted, and later became doctors (afterall, they worked
>> hard, put in the time and paid lots of $$ to go to med
>> school), would you be willing to let them operate on you?
>> Be honest in how you answer.
>>
>> As a NBCT, you should know the subject matter that is
>> covered by the assessment, even if you have not or are not
>> currently teaching it.
>>
>> When I took my state's subject matter certification test,
>> there were several candidates who were taking the test for
>> the 3rd or 4th time. They did not know the subject matter
>> that they were expected to teach. It was not a matter of
>> test anxiety. Would you want these people to be teaching
>> your children? I would not! They were simply not qualified
>> to teach the subject.
>>
>> If you do not get the 275 points needed for National Board
>> certification, please do not blame the system. It is not
>> the system's fault!

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