"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think."
-Margaret Mead
This quote reminded me of some of the discussion we have had about standardized testing. Many of us have concerns about the pressure behind standardized testing leading to teachers- supported or even forced by their administrators- "teaching the test". Standardized tests should not just test students on what they know. They should be designed to show that a child know how to think through a problem. Ideally, students should not need to review or study for a standardized test. If they have learned processes and problem-solving skills necessary through their curriculum, they should be able to think their way through an exam.
Teaching science has really brought to the surface this need to know how to think not what to think. As technology has evolved and the world has become more well-understood, it is impossible, even for the most brilliant scientist to know everything about every topic. Knowledge is so specific. It becomes then, less important to memorize details than to be able to think through information one comes across. We want students to be able to use the scientific method, to make connections among disciplines, and to distinguish between good and bad information.
In the realm of language learning, we don't want tests that show a student's ability to memorize a great deal of vocabulary and grammatical rules. We want the test to show a student's ability to communicate- to both receive and produce information in a comprehensible way. Communication is about knowing how to think, being creative and working through problems. It is not necessarily about what you know or think, but the process of thinking.
Standardized testing is certainly moving in that direction, but it is still a work in progress.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Standardized Testing
Photo source: cornish-coastal-holiday.co.uk
My quote has nothing to do with standardized testing but the education that we acquire and pass on to our students has some purpose. We just can't see the same thing all the time. Windows hold a lot of opportunities.
Our educational system places so much emphasis on tests and test scores which can be quite a stressor in a young person's life. I can admit with great honesty that the GRE score I received was not a flattering one. It was a standardized test like all the ones I had taken in my lifetime. Stress was my enemy. Did the contents such as the vocabulary component of that test place me as a top-salary educator? It somewhat helped me. I earned my first Master's.
In the previous chapter, Chapter 4, it presented some facts about other countries administering standards-based assessments or standardized testing. Our foreign counterparts become so overwhelmed with attaining that high score that most of the time it pays off. It shows when our country's education is in the news. The companies who develop this kind of testing spend a lengthy time to ensure validity of its contents. I cannot see myself creating such a test unless I am ordered to do so.
Standardized testing has its pros and cons. This would probably fit the "pro" mold. Does this high test score equate to the kind of a job you will hold later in life? Probably not. It will help on a resume though. Here's a con: if my life was placed in the hands of two great surgeons, both of them have passed the medical board exams, I would have to make a wise choice. Dr. A encompasses a great deal of common sense and Dr. B relies on being book smart. No doubt my decision would favor the practical expertise of Dr. A.
Standardized Testing
"The decline of American intelligence will be more rapid than the decline of the
intelligence of European groups, owing to the presence here of the Negro."
Carl Brigham, 1924, developer of the SAT and dean at Princeton
This week I read about standardized testing. Getting ready to blog I found this quote which I have serious problems with. Standardized testing is a way of measuring how well a person obtained what was taught. But don’t say a person is not intelligent because they score low on a standardize
test. Learning about testing makes me believe that students, no matter what color, are a result of their educators and not of their race. We need to educate our students not only on objectives but also on life. I hope that all teachers understand the concept of testing as a tool to measure objectives or standards and not a weapon to destroy our learners’ belief in themselves.
intelligence of European groups, owing to the presence here of the Negro."
Carl Brigham, 1924, developer of the SAT and dean at Princeton
This week I read about standardized testing. Getting ready to blog I found this quote which I have serious problems with. Standardized testing is a way of measuring how well a person obtained what was taught. But don’t say a person is not intelligent because they score low on a standardize
test. Learning about testing makes me believe that students, no matter what color, are a result of their educators and not of their race. We need to educate our students not only on objectives but also on life. I hope that all teachers understand the concept of testing as a tool to measure objectives or standards and not a weapon to destroy our learners’ belief in themselves.
Chapter 5 Reflection
By Ricardo Levins Morales from the Northland Poster Collective
This week I learned a lot about how to create my own standardized test. I learned about the steps to creating a standards-based test and realized that it will take time to come up with a valid test, but with standards provided, creating a test should be easy. I also learned more about the advantages and disadvantages of standardized test. The quote and picture above gave me some difficulties at first relating it to the chapter, I was going to choose another one but I really liked this one. If you have another way to relate this quote to standards-based tests I would appreciate your help. After some deep thought, I finally found words that relate this quote to tests. Basically the quote above can mean many things, such as money is not needed but it needs to be counted everyday. In relation to the chapter, the quote above can mean that tests can have so many questions but no relevance as to a test with relevance and shorter questions.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sixth Week Reflection
But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, perseverance.
William J. Wilson
This week we learned about creating our own standardized tests. I have yet to ever create a standardized test and do not see myself doing so anytime soon. The chapter gave some examples of various standardized tests that are used to test the English proficiency of ELLs. I think the most important thing in any standardized test is that it is actually testing what it is supposed to. Having taken my share of standardized tests, I do not always think that this is the case. For instance, I found the English section on the GRE (or at least the old version of the GRE) to be pretty ridiculous. This section pretty much determines whether or not we can figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words by using roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Yes this is useful, but I have never used or have even seen the majority of the words on the GRE and I am a college educated person who grew up speaking English. I ended up doing rather poorly on this section of the GRE (though I really did not spend too much time studying), but I still do well in all of my graduate classes. I think at one point I also had to take what I believe might have been the TOEFL but I am not sure. I had to take an English proficiency test for the military. I found it a waste of my time and kind of insulting because even an intelligent English speaking elementary student could have passed it. Though I did not have to pay for it, I am sure the military had to pay for it. So to me, it was neither cost nor time efficient.
William J. Wilson
This week we learned about creating our own standardized tests. I have yet to ever create a standardized test and do not see myself doing so anytime soon. The chapter gave some examples of various standardized tests that are used to test the English proficiency of ELLs. I think the most important thing in any standardized test is that it is actually testing what it is supposed to. Having taken my share of standardized tests, I do not always think that this is the case. For instance, I found the English section on the GRE (or at least the old version of the GRE) to be pretty ridiculous. This section pretty much determines whether or not we can figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words by using roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Yes this is useful, but I have never used or have even seen the majority of the words on the GRE and I am a college educated person who grew up speaking English. I ended up doing rather poorly on this section of the GRE (though I really did not spend too much time studying), but I still do well in all of my graduate classes. I think at one point I also had to take what I believe might have been the TOEFL but I am not sure. I had to take an English proficiency test for the military. I found it a waste of my time and kind of insulting because even an intelligent English speaking elementary student could have passed it. Though I did not have to pay for it, I am sure the military had to pay for it. So to me, it was neither cost nor time efficient.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Standards-based Assessment
Photo Credit: Teacher Planet
This week's post will not include a quote but rather a cartoon that I find amusing. I hope it'll be acceptable.
Chapter 4 was interesting because it talked about standards-based assessments. Just recently, it was mentioned on the Facebook wall of our guidance counselor that she just attended a meeting regarding SAT-10 testing. Oh, boy! We have one week of testing instead of two weeks!
Testing! I had better step on it with my class to get those skills mastered to "teach to the test!" Mastery? Or is it exposure? I am just now reaching out to my ELLs especially one who I find struggling in most subjects. I had to add some more modifications so he is able to keep up with the class.
Here's on example. The Social Studies standards in the 4th grade pertains mostly to Guam History. I try to tie in these standards with our current adopted textbook which has no mention of Guam's history. SAT-10 tests our fourth graders in this subject area that they know the basic or lack of. I believe that Guam history should be taught in middle and high school.
On a positive note, we all want our students to know many things and be able to do things. That's a good thing but does it just stop there with what the standards want them to know or do we go the extra mile and give them more even if it is not on the test?
Standardize Testing
~ life is not a multiple choice test, it's an open-book essay exam. ~
-- Alan Blinder (Princeton),
In chapter four we learned about standard-based assessments and how it measures a students’ achievement in obtaining the required objective of performance level we want our kids to obtain in our classroom. I feel this part of the book is especially important because this is where we will see how well our students perform or measure up to our standards we set for them. We
need to ensure that our student’s will be competent in their ability to learn what we want them to and to have a tool to measure that ability. We need to make sure what we test them on corresponds to what the students need to learn. Standardize testing sets the benchmark for where we want our kids to be at. It has advantages and disadvantages just like any other means of evaluation.
-- Alan Blinder (Princeton),
In chapter four we learned about standard-based assessments and how it measures a students’ achievement in obtaining the required objective of performance level we want our kids to obtain in our classroom. I feel this part of the book is especially important because this is where we will see how well our students perform or measure up to our standards we set for them. We
need to ensure that our student’s will be competent in their ability to learn what we want them to and to have a tool to measure that ability. We need to make sure what we test them on corresponds to what the students need to learn. Standardize testing sets the benchmark for where we want our kids to be at. It has advantages and disadvantages just like any other means of evaluation.
Week of Feb 17th: Standards-based assessment
"If more testing were the answer to the problems in our schools, testing would have solved them a long time ago." -Bill Goodling (Chair of the House of Education Committee)
I have not had to deal with standardized testing here on Guam, but I did when I was in Florida. There, we as teachers were forced to do FCAT review every class period for 15 minutes (on a 4x4 block) for the two weeks leading up to the exam. If students didn't dread the test before then, they certainly did by the end of all that FCAT review. I am not against standardized tests in general. I think they have their place and can provide information to teachers, schools and districts about how much information students are actually grasping. The emphasis on these test, however, has just become to strong. I agree with a lot of what Daniele said, but given the limitations of standardized tests, I am not sure that they should be required for graduation.
What we see as students not caring on the test, could actually be rebellion or frustration. Students know we need them to do well and we constantly put it in their faces and hold it over their heads. Some students respond to that kind of pressure by doing exactly what we don't want them to do: not bother trying. Another student may want to do well, but given the pressure and realizing that he doesn't know many of the answers he has read at the beginning, he may just feel defeated and quit. Finally, there are students who are afraid to know how they might actually do. They don't want to be viewed as stupid, so they "Christmas tree" the test. The logic is that if they didn't really try, they didn't really fail. I feel that if we could just reduce some of the hype surrounding these tests, students might put forth more effort. That would take a long time though- the hype is currently pretty intense.
I like the quote I chose because people are always looking for a simple answers to the problems in schools. The problems aren't simple though, and the solutions can't be either. Personally, I believe states need to focus on recruiting bright, energetic, inspiring people to be teachers- and pay them a wage that reflects their important profession. There is so much more that needs to be done to "fix" education. The highest on the priority list is changing attitudes about school. Until we as a society value education, our students certainly won't: standardized tests or not.
I have not had to deal with standardized testing here on Guam, but I did when I was in Florida. There, we as teachers were forced to do FCAT review every class period for 15 minutes (on a 4x4 block) for the two weeks leading up to the exam. If students didn't dread the test before then, they certainly did by the end of all that FCAT review. I am not against standardized tests in general. I think they have their place and can provide information to teachers, schools and districts about how much information students are actually grasping. The emphasis on these test, however, has just become to strong. I agree with a lot of what Daniele said, but given the limitations of standardized tests, I am not sure that they should be required for graduation.
What we see as students not caring on the test, could actually be rebellion or frustration. Students know we need them to do well and we constantly put it in their faces and hold it over their heads. Some students respond to that kind of pressure by doing exactly what we don't want them to do: not bother trying. Another student may want to do well, but given the pressure and realizing that he doesn't know many of the answers he has read at the beginning, he may just feel defeated and quit. Finally, there are students who are afraid to know how they might actually do. They don't want to be viewed as stupid, so they "Christmas tree" the test. The logic is that if they didn't really try, they didn't really fail. I feel that if we could just reduce some of the hype surrounding these tests, students might put forth more effort. That would take a long time though- the hype is currently pretty intense.
I like the quote I chose because people are always looking for a simple answers to the problems in schools. The problems aren't simple though, and the solutions can't be either. Personally, I believe states need to focus on recruiting bright, energetic, inspiring people to be teachers- and pay them a wage that reflects their important profession. There is so much more that needs to be done to "fix" education. The highest on the priority list is changing attitudes about school. Until we as a society value education, our students certainly won't: standardized tests or not.
Chapter 4 Reflection- Standards-Based Assessment
The test is to recognize the mistake, admit it and correct it. To have tried to do something and failed is vastly better than to have tried to do nothing and succeeded.
- Dale E. Turner
This week I learned a great deal about standards-based assessment, the advantages of the assessment, and the disadvantages. I finally understand the definition of standardized testing and that it provides standards that helps the teacher with his/her curricula and is an instructional design that corresponds to what the students should know. Here on Guam, the standardized test commonly administered is the SAT10. Now, like what the chapter mentioned teachers might be tempted to "teach by the test" in order to raise the scores. By doing this, the scoring and data become invalid.
The quote above relates to the standards being chosen for these standards-based tests and the creation of these test. In correspondence to Chapter 3 and the creating of tests, these standardized tests like all test go through a trial and error. Standards are chosen to for standardized tests and when the test creators see that these standards are not met, changes must be made or the test itself must be altered also altering the standards created. I believe the quote means that its better to have a valid test that reveals whether or not the students fail or pass than to have an invalid test that all students can pass or could be due to the teachers "teaching to the test" and the students dont have to study because they already know the answers to the test.
Fifth Week Reflection
“I believe that the testing of the student's achievements in order to see if he meets some criterion held by the teacher, is directly contrary to the implications of therapy for significant learning.” Carl Rogers
This week we talked about standards-based assessments and their purposes, advantages, and disadvantages. I personally think that the local public schools are spending way too much time worrying about the SAT-10 results if they are not going to begin to hold the students more accountable for their scores. I have observed and have talked to many other teachers who have observed the students during the administration of this test. The overall consensus is that the students just really do not care about how well they perform and are not taking this test seriously. Most of the students are done way before the allotted time limit is up, they are bubbling answers in to make designs on the paper, or they are drawing on scratch paper that they should be using to help solve math problems. Currently the SAT-10 is not being used as an exit or graduation exam and I do not even know if the local colleges even take these tests scores into consideration when a student applies for admission. So basically only the students who are intrinsically motivated try to do their best on this test. We could at least try to assign some sort of course grade in relation to how well the students perform on the corresponding sections of the SAT-10 or give those students who perform well some sort of extra credit. If the students do not care, then it is not going to matter how much effort the administrators and teachers put into trying to figure out how to get the students to perform better on the SAT-10. If I had to take a test in which there were no personal consequences involved, I would probably not bother to try to perform as well as I would if there were personal consequences involved.
This week we talked about standards-based assessments and their purposes, advantages, and disadvantages. I personally think that the local public schools are spending way too much time worrying about the SAT-10 results if they are not going to begin to hold the students more accountable for their scores. I have observed and have talked to many other teachers who have observed the students during the administration of this test. The overall consensus is that the students just really do not care about how well they perform and are not taking this test seriously. Most of the students are done way before the allotted time limit is up, they are bubbling answers in to make designs on the paper, or they are drawing on scratch paper that they should be using to help solve math problems. Currently the SAT-10 is not being used as an exit or graduation exam and I do not even know if the local colleges even take these tests scores into consideration when a student applies for admission. So basically only the students who are intrinsically motivated try to do their best on this test. We could at least try to assign some sort of course grade in relation to how well the students perform on the corresponding sections of the SAT-10 or give those students who perform well some sort of extra credit. If the students do not care, then it is not going to matter how much effort the administrators and teachers put into trying to figure out how to get the students to perform better on the SAT-10. If I had to take a test in which there were no personal consequences involved, I would probably not bother to try to perform as well as I would if there were personal consequences involved.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Week of Feb 10 Reflection
"Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts." -Albert Einstein
I chose this quote because in reading the chapter about creating quality and fair tests, I thought about how often the purpose of testing is neglected. When students get the feeling that the test they take is just turning them into a number, rank, score or statistic they become discouraged, frustrated and even angry. These are not the best emotions for best performance. If the test objectives are ambiguous or the test itself is perceived as unfair, students lose the drive to perform well. If, however, the test objectives are clear, the test is fair, and the test results are used as a tool rather than a branding, students are more likely to get on board, do their best, and gain from the testing experience. Students need to feel like they count for more than a percentage score or a letter grade.
This chapter was interesting because testing is something we have all done during our time teaching, but for which we may not have been well trained. I appreciated the section about writing proper multiple choice questions and the discussion about the limitations of multiple choice tests. I think that many teachers use multiple choice tests as their default test and consider them to be the most fair (not to mention the fastest to grade. I also liked that this chapter focused heavily on the importance of feedback. A few things came to mind when reading that section. First, I know some teachers that do not provide proper feedback on tests (or other assessments). Part of the reason is time limits in class, but also I think they view poor grades or low scores as a result of lack of effort on the part of the student rather than an opportunity for improvement for both student and teacher. Another thought that came to my mind is standardized testing and how students are given numerical and statistical feedback on such tests, but are unable to see what they really did wrong. Did they score poorly because they did not do the work correctly, did not understand completely, or because they ran out of time. While it is unlikely that further feedback will be provided in the future following standardized tests, it is important that teachers and administrators recognize the limitation of a test without feedback.
I chose this quote because in reading the chapter about creating quality and fair tests, I thought about how often the purpose of testing is neglected. When students get the feeling that the test they take is just turning them into a number, rank, score or statistic they become discouraged, frustrated and even angry. These are not the best emotions for best performance. If the test objectives are ambiguous or the test itself is perceived as unfair, students lose the drive to perform well. If, however, the test objectives are clear, the test is fair, and the test results are used as a tool rather than a branding, students are more likely to get on board, do their best, and gain from the testing experience. Students need to feel like they count for more than a percentage score or a letter grade.
This chapter was interesting because testing is something we have all done during our time teaching, but for which we may not have been well trained. I appreciated the section about writing proper multiple choice questions and the discussion about the limitations of multiple choice tests. I think that many teachers use multiple choice tests as their default test and consider them to be the most fair (not to mention the fastest to grade. I also liked that this chapter focused heavily on the importance of feedback. A few things came to mind when reading that section. First, I know some teachers that do not provide proper feedback on tests (or other assessments). Part of the reason is time limits in class, but also I think they view poor grades or low scores as a result of lack of effort on the part of the student rather than an opportunity for improvement for both student and teacher. Another thought that came to my mind is standardized testing and how students are given numerical and statistical feedback on such tests, but are unable to see what they really did wrong. Did they score poorly because they did not do the work correctly, did not understand completely, or because they ran out of time. While it is unlikely that further feedback will be provided in the future following standardized tests, it is important that teachers and administrators recognize the limitation of a test without feedback.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Fourth Week Reflection
| |
My memory of taking tests is unforgettable. When I was in middle school, I was caught talking to another student about submitting the English grammar test. You can imagine the heat in my face when the teacher announced that I just received a "0." No scoring nor feedback. I can connect my personal experience and Chapter 3 in regards to giving feedback. I agree that feedback is an important component in the construction of a classroom language test.
Photo source: wiu.edu
Fourth Week Reflection
During the final two weeks of training, our students work simulated game situations in which our staff members role-play as players, managers, and coaches. They are given immediate feedback following each camp game.
Jim Evans
This week we learned about grading and scoring tests and given the students some sort of feedback regarding their results. We also learned about how to make questions that are appropriate for the types of assessments that we are designing. I think that everyone should receive some sort of feedback in regards to how well they did on an assessment and what areas they need to make improvement in. If I take a test and do not perform well, I at least want to know what areas I need to improve on. This chapter also talked about how to use distractors in multiple choice tests. Most of the time, a multiple choice test will have two answers that are pretty obviously not the correct choice and two answers that are plausible. Personally, my least favorite is when they trick you with the types of questions that have all of the above or none of the above. One of the things that I like the best about this book are the suggested exercises provided at the end of the chapters. These give you ideas on how you can expand on the concepts that are taught in the various chapters.
Jim Evans
This week we learned about grading and scoring tests and given the students some sort of feedback regarding their results. We also learned about how to make questions that are appropriate for the types of assessments that we are designing. I think that everyone should receive some sort of feedback in regards to how well they did on an assessment and what areas they need to make improvement in. If I take a test and do not perform well, I at least want to know what areas I need to improve on. This chapter also talked about how to use distractors in multiple choice tests. Most of the time, a multiple choice test will have two answers that are pretty obviously not the correct choice and two answers that are plausible. Personally, my least favorite is when they trick you with the types of questions that have all of the above or none of the above. One of the things that I like the best about this book are the suggested exercises provided at the end of the chapters. These give you ideas on how you can expand on the concepts that are taught in the various chapters.
Feb. 10 Reflection- Designing Tests
Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.
~Gail Godwin
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Feb 2 Reflection
"I think that perfect objectivity is an unrealistic goal; fairness, however, is not." -Michael Pollan
I really enjoyed our class on Friday. It was nice to meet everyone finally and exchange experiences with assessment. I liked having the opportunity to meet with a small group and go over the aspects of testing. Hearing positive and negative experiences surrounding test validity, authenticity, practicality, and reliability helped to shed light on the importance of proper assessment. As teachers, I believe it is not only important to create assessments that have all the appropriate elements, but that we speak up about tests and assessments including standardized tests when we notice that all aspects are not in order. That is why I chose my quote. Since some objectivity is expected in good assessment, particularly concerning second language testing, and as humans, we all have different perspectives, experiences and therefore judgements, we cannot expect perfect objectivity. What we discussed in class today was fairness. It is only fair for test-takers to be tested on the material studied, to be given a reasonable amount of time, to be graded in a manner that is unbiased and consistent, to understand the directions and the questions, and to be given testing experiences that are as realistic as possible. Bearing in mind our own experiences and the experiences of our peers in testing and assessment circumstances, we will be more aware of testing challenges and will strive for fairness.
I really enjoyed our class on Friday. It was nice to meet everyone finally and exchange experiences with assessment. I liked having the opportunity to meet with a small group and go over the aspects of testing. Hearing positive and negative experiences surrounding test validity, authenticity, practicality, and reliability helped to shed light on the importance of proper assessment. As teachers, I believe it is not only important to create assessments that have all the appropriate elements, but that we speak up about tests and assessments including standardized tests when we notice that all aspects are not in order. That is why I chose my quote. Since some objectivity is expected in good assessment, particularly concerning second language testing, and as humans, we all have different perspectives, experiences and therefore judgements, we cannot expect perfect objectivity. What we discussed in class today was fairness. It is only fair for test-takers to be tested on the material studied, to be given a reasonable amount of time, to be graded in a manner that is unbiased and consistent, to understand the directions and the questions, and to be given testing experiences that are as realistic as possible. Bearing in mind our own experiences and the experiences of our peers in testing and assessment circumstances, we will be more aware of testing challenges and will strive for fairness.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Chapter 2 Reflection
Adversity tests us from time to time and it is inevitable that this testing continues during life.
I really enjoyed going to class tonight. It was nice to collaborate and learn from my peers about the major principal of learning such as reliability, practicality, and authenticity. I learned that not all students are test taker and they may experience great difficulty taking a test whether its because they are nervous about taking a test or it could be the test itself. The test could be too hard or tricky, the classroom environment may be too hot, too cold, or even too noisy.
The most important lesson I learned today is that there will always be some downfall with tests and that certain tests may not work for every student. As educators, I believe we must find a test that will fit the needs of our students to help bring out their "shine" if the test is provided for us there are many ways to prepare them for that test and that we must not give up on our students. Because when our students see that we don't give up on them, they will not give up on us and most importantly themselves.
Week 3 Principles of Language Assessment
“I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my
diploma.” ~Eartha Kitt
In class today we discussed the principles of language assessment. We reviewed chapter two and discussed the principles of practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. After discussion on these principles, we broke into two groups and describe in our own words, what the principles mean to us as educators. I really believe this exchange of ideas makes me a smarter person and a better educator. Listening to other professionals will enhance
the learning process in everyone. I was amazed that time flew by so fast. I think this is always the case we you have meaningful conversation. Our class today was fun. I enjoyed learning about these five major principles of language assessment. Hearing other classmates knowledge of these important points made me understand them better in my own way too. I look forward to our next
meeting.
diploma.” ~Eartha Kitt
In class today we discussed the principles of language assessment. We reviewed chapter two and discussed the principles of practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. After discussion on these principles, we broke into two groups and describe in our own words, what the principles mean to us as educators. I really believe this exchange of ideas makes me a smarter person and a better educator. Listening to other professionals will enhance
the learning process in everyone. I was amazed that time flew by so fast. I think this is always the case we you have meaningful conversation. Our class today was fun. I enjoyed learning about these five major principles of language assessment. Hearing other classmates knowledge of these important points made me understand them better in my own way too. I look forward to our next
meeting.
Chapter 2 Reflection
childrenaremorethantestscores.blogspot.com
| ... life is not a multiple choice test, it's an open-book essay exam. |
| -- Alan Blinder (Princeton),
Unknown , Unknown I enjoyed this evening's class discussion. It was pleasant to hear each other's experiences with testing, assessments, raw scores, Stanine scores...Do assessments really matter? Is there a "real" significant value for our students in 10 years? Would a SAT-10 score matter when applying for a job? I strongly believe that not all learners are test takers. I wonder if the scores of any criterion-referenced test or norm-referenced test qualifies a person to be a contributing citizen in society. |
Third Week Reflection
Don't try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior. When our students fail, we, as teachers, too, have failed. ~Marva Collins
Today we talked about the five major principles of language assessment. I chose the above quote because we mentioned today in class how teachers need to reflect on their teaching and one method of doing this is by assessing how well the students understood what we taught them. During class we discussed practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. Once we were done with our group discussion, we broke up into two groups to work on a cooperative learning assignment. Heidi, ValeneAnn, and I were asked to define practicality and reliability and give some personal examples of each. Marvin, Lucille, and their daughter were asked to define validity and authenticity and give some personal examples of each. Since my group finished a little bit early, we were also asked to put together a short skit about one of our topics.
I think the most interesting part of the whole activity was hearing about my fellow classmates’ personal experiences with taking different tests and assessments. A lot of us seem to have had similar good and negative experiences with tests and assessments. The whole class pretty much agreed that tests need to be administered correctly, students need to have ample time to complete tests, raters have to concisely follow rubrics, and the future of students should not be based strictly on one test score. I really enjoyed the group activity today and look forward to doing more of them with my classmates. It makes learning a lot more fun than just listening to a lecture.
Today we talked about the five major principles of language assessment. I chose the above quote because we mentioned today in class how teachers need to reflect on their teaching and one method of doing this is by assessing how well the students understood what we taught them. During class we discussed practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. Once we were done with our group discussion, we broke up into two groups to work on a cooperative learning assignment. Heidi, ValeneAnn, and I were asked to define practicality and reliability and give some personal examples of each. Marvin, Lucille, and their daughter were asked to define validity and authenticity and give some personal examples of each. Since my group finished a little bit early, we were also asked to put together a short skit about one of our topics.
I think the most interesting part of the whole activity was hearing about my fellow classmates’ personal experiences with taking different tests and assessments. A lot of us seem to have had similar good and negative experiences with tests and assessments. The whole class pretty much agreed that tests need to be administered correctly, students need to have ample time to complete tests, raters have to concisely follow rubrics, and the future of students should not be based strictly on one test score. I really enjoyed the group activity today and look forward to doing more of them with my classmates. It makes learning a lot more fun than just listening to a lecture.
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