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by Prof. Howard Seeman
Jun 19, 2011
See this article:
“The Side Effects of Standardized Testing”, at: [link removed]
by Joycee Banks
Jun 20, 2011
It is not fair to our students when we differentiate instruction in our classrooms and then have everyone take the same exam for standardized tests. How are we helping them to be successful this way?
I am reading the book "The Death and Life of the American schools" which talks about state testing and what it has done to the American schools. It is quite an interesting reading. I hope for the sake of our students we stop this train wreck called state testing. I am for testing student skills but we must have a system that is fair and consistent.
by Elizabeth Alfonso
Jun 23, 2011
lease I want to know why Countries don't recheck the co relation that the standards have to have with the texts that tyhe schools use them to be related to the tests that the schools have to give from the Department of Education be related to the levels standards of learning.
Achievement gap for Hispanic students hasn't narrowed in 20 years
A first-of-its kind NAEP report finds hints of progress, but mostly a stubborn achievement gap between Hispanic and white students.
In 20 years, the national achievement gap between Hispanic students and their non-Hispanic white peers hasn’t budged. But hints of p...See MoreAchievement gap for Hispanic students hasn't narrowed in 20 years
A first-of-its kind NAEP report finds hints of progress, but mostly a stubborn achievement gap between Hispanic and white students.
In 20 years, the national achievement gap between Hispanic students and their non-Hispanic white peers hasn’t budged. But hints of progress can be found with a closer look at low-income Hispanics or those who already know the English language. And some states stand out for gaps considerably lower than the national average. This first-of-its kind report on the Hispanic-white gap comes as Congress is considering how to rewrite No Child Left Behind, the federal law that has attempted to narrow gaps based on race, income, and other factors. Questions loom about how much of that accountability system will stay in place, and what specific role the federal government will play in pushing for the progress of Hispanic students. RECOMMENDED: Six takeaways about the achievement gap “I fear people will say ... that these kids are not worth it, [and that they] come with all these problems outside of school that make closing the achievement gap impossible,” says Raul González, director of legislative affairs at the National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy group based in Washington. Gaps may not have closed yet, but it’s too soon to give up, Mr. González says. Policies are changing – moving toward more accurate assessments for foreign-language speakers, for instance. “We are talking about the academic achievement of poor minority kids.... That conversation is completely different today than it was 10 years ago, and it’s because of this focus on raising standards and accountability.” Thursday’s report, “Achievement Gaps,” is the latest analysis from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which tracks student achievement over time and allows for comparison among states. This analysis focuses on reading and math scores in Grades 4 and 8 between 1990 and 2009. Since the early 1990s, “there’s been overall growth in reading and math for both whites and Hispanics,... but the gap really hasn’t closed,” says Jack Buckley, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees NAEP. In 2009, the national gaps between Hispanics and whites ranged from 21 to 26 points on NAEP scales. The gaps are significant, Mr. Buckley says. In practical terms, here’s an example of what they mean: In fourth-grade math in 2009, the average Hispanic score of 227 corresponds with the “basic” skill level, and it indicates that students can make a pictograph of given information, and can determine, in a multiple-choice question, how many given pieces cover a shape. The white average score of 248, on the other hand, is just one point shy of reaching the “proficient” skill level, and it indicates that these students can subtract a two-digit number from a three-digit number and solve a word problem involving quarts and cups. Many communities in the United States have seen rapid growth of their Hispanic population. During the past two decades, the proportion of students in Grades 4 and 8 who are Hispanic grew from about 7 percent to 22 percent. Among these students, 77 percent are eligible for reduced- price meals at school, a proxy for poverty, which tends to correlate with lower test scores. And large portions of them (37 percent in Grade 4 and 21 percent in Grade 8) are designated as English-language learners (ELLs), who by definition are not fully proficient in reading English. “With ELLs , there has been a long history of neglect of their education. Folks have had to go to court over and over to get schools to provide these kids with opportunities,” González says. Other factors that education research points toward are inequitable state funding systems that direct fewer resources to minority students, and the fact that fewer well-qualified teachers work in schools with concentrations of low-income and minority kids. For Hispanics who already know English, the gaps with whites have narrowed. That gap was 15 points in Grade 8 reading, for instance, while ELL Hispanics scored 39 points lower than non-ELL Hispanics. Among low-income students, the gaps between Hispanics and whites have narrowed in reading and eighth-grade math since 2003. Five places stand out for smaller Hispanic-white gaps in both reading and math: Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Wyoming, and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools. “It is possible to close these gaps ... if we focus on it, if we use common-sense solutions, if we fund schools equitably,” says Ulrich Boser, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit in Washington. Related stories • Education secretary tells Congress: Change No Child Left Behind – or I will • Census Bureau: Hispanics account for half of US population growth • The Monitor's View: Next US education reform: Higher teacher quality
We are trying to come up with a better school wide assessment for reading. Does anyone use or know of a RELIABLE, EASY to administer reading assessment that will tell us what information we need to work on to increase ouPSSA scores.
by WashingApple
Aug 21, 2011
So, once again the fifth grade students tanked on their end of year test. The 3rd grades and the 4th grades did fairly well, and the 5th grade just tanked. I am thinking about reasons, trying to lift myself up b/c I feel like a horrible teacher. I feel like a bad teacher - if a student is placed in my class, that would be a disservice to them. Mind...See MoreSo, once again the fifth grade students tanked on their end of year test. The 3rd grades and the 4th grades did fairly well, and the 5th grade just tanked. I am thinking about reasons, trying to lift myself up b/c I feel like a horrible teacher. I feel like a bad teacher - if a student is placed in my class, that would be a disservice to them. Mind you, I had other teachers from around the district observing my class b/c of the procedures and the learning that was going on in my classroom last year. I have been invited to panel discussions, I have seen my students make such gains as individual students throughout last year. It was great. Students were taking their learning seriously, and they were beginning to see education as accessible to them. There was reading stamina at their reading levels, there were small groups going on in math, reading and writing, there was a pride that developed among the students last year. Mind you, the students in 5th grade came to us with 25% passing rate in math. So their math scores this year is 40%. Reading stayed steady from their 4th grade year - something like 41%. Where do I go with this? I've got to get my head around preparing for the school year, and with all of the love and passion I have for my profession, with all of the gains I KNOW the 5th graders made last year, they still tanked on the state tests and I cannot help but feel like that's all that matters. And I am to blame. Not the other 5th grade teacher who only lasted until March of last year, not the other guest teachers who came and went out of that classroom, but I feel as if it's my fault. I won't be able to celebrate with the 3rd and 4th grade teachers at our meetings, instead I feel like a heel. I feel as if I don't have what it takes.
Our school district will be looking to employ assessments that measure students' growth. Any resources, advice, and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Does homework help you get good scores? I've been told that I give too much homework. My district only cares about test results, so I think I can justify homework if my scores are good.
I found a good article on homework and test results, but I'm interested in what other teachers think.
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