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Massachusetts standardized testing

Paul C. Anagnostopoulos

Nap, interrupted.
Paul C. Anagnostopoulos
Joined
Aug 3, 2001
Messages
19,141
Years ago, Massachusetts adopted a standardized testing program that included six tests: language and math in 4th, 8th, and 10th grades. Today we have 16 tests and I don't even know what they are. I daresay that number is sticky downward.

Most of the school committee meeting last evening was spent in a discussion of why 3rd grade language scores had slipped and why 6th grade math was a problem. The tests had gotten harder last year, so perhaps that was it. There were some poetry questions on the language test, but 3rd graders hadn't studied poetry yet. The math program used by the school is known to have some problems, but there was no corresponding slip in the 8th grade math scores. Hmm. I wonder. What could it be?

Many people agreed that something needs to be done, but no one was sure what it was. Everyone felt confident that the teachers could tune their curricula to fix the problems, whatever they are. No one was bold enough to mention their fears over property values.

I don't really know how I feel about standardized testing, although it is a complete joke for our kids. But I do know one thing: Something's not right here.

~~ Paul

P.S. Is anyone working on the standardized post-high school world to match the standardized testing?
 
i em a produck uv massachewsits publik edukashun. i em doin ok.
 
At least you don't have to worry about your children playing tag.
 
Here's a bad story from California

Several years ago Calif. adopted content standards for grade level and high school subject. I am a high school science teacher. We have the standard prep courses; bio, chem, physics. We also have general science courses that are "applied" or "integrated". The prep classes are for college bound and the other courses are for general ed. The scope, intent, methodology of the two programs are different.

When the state began testing, they only tested the prep kids in four categories: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, & Earth Science depending on which course they were taking at the time. Eventually the state decided to test all kids. Fine. The problem is, they never developed tests appropriate for anything but a college track. In short, they didn't develop any test at all! They just 'cut & paste' the same questions out of the prep tests to make an "Integrated" test.

So what we have are students that have elementary school math & reading levels being tested on the Milikan Oil Drop Experiment, Kreb's Cycle, and Lanthanide Contraction. (sigh!!)
 
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Paul knows this but for those who don't:


Standardized testing was initiated because kids were getting out of high school not able to do basic reading, writing, and math. Part of the problem was that teachers were teaching what they felt was important at a particular grade level for a particular subject. The result was that as they go on to higher grades, their new teachers have no common base on which to begin their curriculum. And often the kids did not get proper instruction in the subject in the first place. For instance a biology teacher might think that dissecting frogs was more important than teaching evolution. (I know, I know, but it happens.)

So the state set guidelines for each subject in each grade. They determined what was to be taught and set the standards for each subject/grade. The standarized test is based on the criteria in the subject standards.

I am all for standardized tests. The kids should have been exposed to, and be able to show some proficency in the major subjects. That's why they are in school. The difficult part is to determine what is most important to know about a subject area and then design a test that will do a good job of determining if that goal has been met. So tweaking of the standards and tests is an ongoing labor.

All in all, I like the preliminary results from this sort of test. In our state/district, scores are getting higher and assuming the tests are getting better, that's encouraging.

One of the concerns of parents is that their child cannot graduate if they haven't passed the 10th grade testing. The test is very basic and not hard to pass. Not only that, but if they fail, they can take the test again and again. In my opinion, anyone failing the test after so many tries just does not deserve to get a high school diploma.

There is a problem with special needs kids. Amazingly, they are required to take the test with "accommodations". (First let me say that 95% of the special needs kids in my classes are not special needs kids. They are behavior problems or just plain lazy and refuse to work. The criteria for special needs has to be tightened up. This high majority of non-special special needs kids sucks time and money away from those who really need the extra help.) I believe there should be a seperate test for the truly needy students.
 
cbish said:
Here's a bad story from California

Several years ago Calif. adopted content standards for grade level and high school subject. I am a high school science teacher. We have the standard prep courses; bio, chem, physics. We also have general science courses that are "applied" or "integrated". The prep classes are for college bound and the other courses are for general ed. The scope, intent, methodology of the two programs are different.

When the state began testing, they only tested the prep kids in four categories: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, & Earth Science depending on which course they were taking at the time. Eventually the state decided to test all kids. Fine. The problem is, they never developed tests appropriate for anything but a college track. In short, they didn't develop any test at all! They just 'cut & paste' the same questions out of the prep tests to make an "Integrated" test.

So what we have are students that have elementary school math & reading levels being tested on the Milikan Oil Drop Experiment, Kreb's Cycle, and Lanthanide Contraction. (sigh!!)
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The curse of FCAT
 
Larry Barrieau said:
Paul knows this but for those who don't:


There is a problem with special needs kids. Amazingly, they are required to take the test with "accommodations". (First let me say that 95% of the special needs kids in my classes are not special needs kids. They are behavior problems or just plain lazy and refuse to work. The criteria for special needs has to be tightened up. This high majority of non-special special needs kids sucks time and money away from those who really need the extra help.) I believe there should be a seperate test for the truly needy students.
Click to expand...

Now, now , now!!! We will have none of that foul political incorrectness in this forum you whippersnapper. You know these are horribly needy young BOYS AND GIRLS who can't control themselves because of the evils of society, the terrible stuff we all eat or something we haven't thought about but it's damshure not their fault and you better not say so or we will sue yer butt off under the ADA SO THERE!!!
 
Oh, and FCAT sucks in so many ways I can't begin to describe them (well, actually I'm not going to but I could and do on occasion).
 
Don't misunderstand me. There are things wrong with MCAS but the number of college teachers and professors complaining about the caliber of students coming to them was one of the reasons for the change. The colleges had to create remedial courses to teach the students what they should have learned in high school in order to take a college course. It was bad here and worse in other parts of the country.
 
Larry said:
There is a problem with special needs kids. Amazingly, they are required to take the test with "accommodations". (First let me say that 95% of the special needs kids in my classes are not special needs kids. They are behavior problems or just plain lazy and refuse to work. The criteria for special needs has to be tightened up. This high majority of non-special special needs kids sucks time and money away from those who really need the extra help.) I believe there should be a seperate test for the truly needy students.
Click to expand...
Our son works at grade level with assistance, so he takes the MCAS. The amusing thing is that he has a severe reading problem, but has to take the reading test without accommodation. He can have reading help with every test but the reading test. I guess they want to get a true reading baseline on him, for what purpose I cannot imagine.

Our daughter doesn't take the MCAS. She submits a portfolio instead, which is evaluated for progress.

Please note that MCAS is of absolutely no use to the individual students, and of very little use to their teachers. Students take the MCAS in April and May, but don't receive results until October, far too late for something useful like summer tutoring or planning the degree of review at the start of the next grade. I have a problem with testing kids in a way that doesn't benefit the kids specifically. Would you like to be tested at your job just so someone can make sure management is following guidelines?

~~ Paul
 
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Paul C. Anagnostopoulos said:
Would you like to be tested at your job just so someone can make sure management is following guidelines?

~~ Paul
Click to expand...

I have been asked at work to give feedback. This feedback would have no benefit to me at all.

We are also asked if we have certain types of agreement with our managers. If enough people answer no then we do not get our pay rise. Strange thing is the survey is not compulsory.
 
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