Re: Standardized Tests and NCLB/Dumbing down education
Posted by Kim/AR/math on 7/25/08
On 7/25/08, Lea wrote:
> How have the standardized tests that are required for NCLB
> changed the way you teach or the way curriculum is managed
> in your school district?
I think since we are hitting a plateau with AYP, we are
seeing more and more math and literacy skills being
incorporated into lesson plans throughout the school. eg.
The art teacher does art lessons with Fibonacci sequence.
I think teachers are paying more attention to the state
standards instead of just teaching what is in the textbook.
> I know that in our state, the
> tests have very low standards, but since the kids have to
> pass it, that is all the core teachers teach.
I'm not sure I follow what you are saying here. In our state
the standard for passing the state test seems to be getting
lower and lower, as well. But, the test questions themselves
aren't any easier - just a lower cut score. So, we are still
trying to teach higher order thinking skills within our
state frameworks.
> Since I am
> not a core teacher, I feel like a "forgotten child" and
> don't feel important at all. During the testing window,
> students are pulled out of class constantly, so lessons are
> impossible to plan and teach.
In our school, all teachers are needed to administer the
test. So, students are not pulled from non-core classes -
there are no classes meeting during that time.
> The low standards really
> bother me. We have scores that show that the kids can pass
> and only answer 25 out of 60 questions correct. Then, the
> tests are counted as the exam grade, and kids who pass get
> an automatic "A". Talk about dumbing down education! What
> do the rest of you think?
It bothers me to that less than 50% can be considered
passing. That is the case with my state as well.
Our state test contains open response questions, so we do do
not get the results back in time to include these as part of
the students' grade. I think that giving students an A when
only correctly answering 50% of the questions is wrong. Have
you made your feelings on this known to the principal?
Posts on this thread, including this one
- Standardized Tests and NCLB/Dumbing down education, 7/25/08, by Lea.
- Re: Standardized Tests and NCLB/Dumbing down education, 7/25/08, by Kim/AR/math.
- Re: Standardized Tests and NCLB/Dumbing down education, 7/26/08, by Lea.
- Re: Standardized Tests and NCLB/Dumbing down education, 8/03/08, by competing for federal dollars.
1996 - 2008. All Rights Reserved. Please review our Terms of Use, Mission Statement, and Privacy Policy.
