Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #86 – March 19, 2011
It’s that time of year again—the time teachers, students, and principals have dreaded for a while. Why do we see grimacing when annual standardized assessments arrive? Even the most prepared teachers and students have some fear of tests, in some cases not so much because of the information needed to pass, but simply a fear of the test itself. This fear is a unique phobia and, yes, it’s called, “testaphobia.“ If a student hasn’t studied for the test, there’s not much that can be done but, if he or she simply has a fear of tests, here are some tips that just might get students a few more correct answers, they would not have gotten before.
Relaxing
When students are about to start the test, it sometimes helps to take a deep breath to relax. Anxiety may reduce confidence and be an obstacle to doing one's best. Take in a deep breath and re-affirm one's certainty and confidence.
Directions
Read and listen to all instructions given. It is imperative to really understand what is expected in each section of the test. Students should ask their instructor to explain any instructions they don’t understand.
Budgeting Your Time
It is not uncommon for students to leave unanswered questions because they run out of time. To avoid this, they should budget their time by taking the total amount of time given for each section, subtracting two minutes (for review), and then dividing the remaining time by the number of problems or questions. This will tell them approximately how much time they have for each question.
Managing Multiple Choice Questions
Did you know research reveals, on multiple choice questions, 3 out of 4 times, the first choice was the correct answer. So students should start out a multiple choice section by answering all the questions they know the answers to. (If they don’t know the answer immediately, put a mark next to it and skip it.) Then, go back over those not known. When finished, unless there is a very good reason for changing an answer, don’t.
Passing the Reading Passages
Success for answering questions related to passages increases when students read the questions prior to the passage. Doing so helps one hone in on relevant points. After reading the questions, students can highlight key words, phrases and ideas relevant to the questions, as clues to support the answers. Use text features such as: captions, graphs, charts and illustrations. They enhance the text and present relevant details.
Scoring on Math Questions
Students are required to show work and to write legibly. Even if the answer is wrong, they may receive partial credit if their work can be read and evaluated. A math question may have more than one part and, therefore, more than one answer. Be sure to answer all of the parts.
Reviewing Your Work
Here’s a way for students to get another correct answer or two. If they have time, they should go back and check all of their work. They should re-check as many answers as time permits. From my experience, they are bound to find something and correct it. But they should only correct things when they are absolutely sure.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin
Good luck to all of you!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
TO CHEAT OR NOT TO CHEAT?
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #85 - March 12, 2011
The results of standardized tests are the driving force behind most public education institutions in the United States. It’s rather a sad note that performance on this one test determines major financial and political consequences for the staff and can result in less than a quality education for the students in our public schools today.
Scoring below grade level can mean a student is placed in additional hours of reading or math and is not permitted to take elective courses such as music or art. These students may have P.E. eliminated from their schedule. Many students are also subjected to being “taught to the test” for the entire school year. . Worse than that, this pressure has caused some teachers and even school principals to cheat on these pivotal tests. Is there an alternative to cheating?
Back in pre-historic times, when I attended school, there was no big deal made out of the yearly standardized tests. Why? Because our teachers had done their job; they had taught us what we were supposed to know as second, third or whatever graders we were. We took these tests each spring and never thought much about what they meant. That’s the way it should be.
USA Today (3/10, Upton) reports, "The standardized tests required by the federal No Child Left Behind law have become one of the most important - and controversial - ways to measure a student's progress, a teacher's competence, a school's success and a state's commitment to education." USA Today adds, "Teachers cheat sometimes and so do principals, according to academic studies. .. In an investigation of standardized testing in six states and the District of Columbia, USA TODAY found that an infraction such as casually coaching one student can carry nearly the same punishment as deliberately changing answers for a whole class."
Investigation Exposes Cheating At Michigan School. USA Today /Detroit Free Press (3/10, Dawsey) reports, "The teachers and principal at George Washington Carver Academy, a charter school" in Highland Park, MI, "have learned firsthand what happens when an official probe concludes that the staff cheated on a standardized test. Monitors sent by the Michigan Department of Education have watched over teachers here for the past two years as state tests have been administered." According to USA Today, "Educators at Carver cheated on the tests in many ways, stopping just short of giving students the answers, the state investigation found."
If schools in the very poorest of neighborhoods can “make the grade” without cheating, surely more fortunate schools should be able to follow suit. In New York City, most schools don't know if their students are progressing until the 3rd grade test. That just doesn't cut it. At the Harlem Success School, they test when students enter school to know children’s starting points. They test using both internal curriculum assessments and nationally-normed tests. The internal curriculum assessments allow school staff to target academic interventions in real-time, track trends in student learning, make curriculum enhancements, and provide useful feedback to teachers and parents. The nationally-normed tests allow the teachers to see how they match up to schools across the country.
Here are the results from this school that uses a culture of planning, goals, continuous evaluation, and teamwork, frequent communication with parents and relentless teaching and nurturing instead of cheating:
100% of Harlem Success 3rd graders passed the math exam, with 71% achieving the top score of "4," ranking the school #1 out of all public charters in the state.
• 95% of Harlem Success 3rd graders passed the English Language Arts exam, with nearly a quarter achieving the top score of "4," ranking the school #2 out of all public charters in the state.
• Harlem Success Academy ranks #32 out of all 3500 public schools in New York.
• No public school in the state scored higher than Harlem Success on the math exam.
• Harlem Success outperformed its school district by nearly 25 percentage points in English Language Arts. The percentage of students "advanced proficient" in math surpasses even the affluent Upper East Side of Manhattan by nearly 35%.
When teachers ’and principals’ jobs are threatened, some feel the only alternative is to cheat. However, teaching kids what they are supposed to know and understand in the first place is so much easier, don’t you think? As with any endeavor, the progress has to be watched carefully with vigilance and changes and improvements made the moment an insufficiency is noticed. This is basic to achieving any sort of a goal or end product in any field, including education. Let’s try it in our schools, shall we?
~ I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating ~ Sophocles
The results of standardized tests are the driving force behind most public education institutions in the United States. It’s rather a sad note that performance on this one test determines major financial and political consequences for the staff and can result in less than a quality education for the students in our public schools today.
Scoring below grade level can mean a student is placed in additional hours of reading or math and is not permitted to take elective courses such as music or art. These students may have P.E. eliminated from their schedule. Many students are also subjected to being “taught to the test” for the entire school year. . Worse than that, this pressure has caused some teachers and even school principals to cheat on these pivotal tests. Is there an alternative to cheating?
Back in pre-historic times, when I attended school, there was no big deal made out of the yearly standardized tests. Why? Because our teachers had done their job; they had taught us what we were supposed to know as second, third or whatever graders we were. We took these tests each spring and never thought much about what they meant. That’s the way it should be.
USA Today (3/10, Upton) reports, "The standardized tests required by the federal No Child Left Behind law have become one of the most important - and controversial - ways to measure a student's progress, a teacher's competence, a school's success and a state's commitment to education." USA Today adds, "Teachers cheat sometimes and so do principals, according to academic studies. .. In an investigation of standardized testing in six states and the District of Columbia, USA TODAY found that an infraction such as casually coaching one student can carry nearly the same punishment as deliberately changing answers for a whole class."
Investigation Exposes Cheating At Michigan School. USA Today /Detroit Free Press (3/10, Dawsey) reports, "The teachers and principal at George Washington Carver Academy, a charter school" in Highland Park, MI, "have learned firsthand what happens when an official probe concludes that the staff cheated on a standardized test. Monitors sent by the Michigan Department of Education have watched over teachers here for the past two years as state tests have been administered." According to USA Today, "Educators at Carver cheated on the tests in many ways, stopping just short of giving students the answers, the state investigation found."
If schools in the very poorest of neighborhoods can “make the grade” without cheating, surely more fortunate schools should be able to follow suit. In New York City, most schools don't know if their students are progressing until the 3rd grade test. That just doesn't cut it. At the Harlem Success School, they test when students enter school to know children’s starting points. They test using both internal curriculum assessments and nationally-normed tests. The internal curriculum assessments allow school staff to target academic interventions in real-time, track trends in student learning, make curriculum enhancements, and provide useful feedback to teachers and parents. The nationally-normed tests allow the teachers to see how they match up to schools across the country.
Here are the results from this school that uses a culture of planning, goals, continuous evaluation, and teamwork, frequent communication with parents and relentless teaching and nurturing instead of cheating:
100% of Harlem Success 3rd graders passed the math exam, with 71% achieving the top score of "4," ranking the school #1 out of all public charters in the state.
• 95% of Harlem Success 3rd graders passed the English Language Arts exam, with nearly a quarter achieving the top score of "4," ranking the school #2 out of all public charters in the state.
• Harlem Success Academy ranks #32 out of all 3500 public schools in New York.
• No public school in the state scored higher than Harlem Success on the math exam.
• Harlem Success outperformed its school district by nearly 25 percentage points in English Language Arts. The percentage of students "advanced proficient" in math surpasses even the affluent Upper East Side of Manhattan by nearly 35%.
When teachers ’and principals’ jobs are threatened, some feel the only alternative is to cheat. However, teaching kids what they are supposed to know and understand in the first place is so much easier, don’t you think? As with any endeavor, the progress has to be watched carefully with vigilance and changes and improvements made the moment an insufficiency is noticed. This is basic to achieving any sort of a goal or end product in any field, including education. Let’s try it in our schools, shall we?
~ I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating ~ Sophocles
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