How DON'T we use them? That is the question...
Standardized tests, unfortunately, mandate a great deal of a high school student's future in regard to classroom/level placement, indicators of future performance, and overall, a student's morale and self-esteem. The example most relevant to me is for my juniors taking the HSPAs...if these kids fail the HSPAs, they must then be placed in the English Skills 12 class, or the SRA class. For those of you unfamiliar with the SRA, it is the state-mandated "substitute" for passing the HSPAs. It involves completing an assortment of reading and writing tasks which are quite repetitive unless the student happens to achieve a passing grade on the SRA task immediately, which is rare. As you might expect, this process is less than thrilling. Necessary, but not the most motivating experience. This experience, however, is quite a motivator to PASS the HSPAs the first time around.
The results of the HSPA experience also mandate pretty much the senior year of the student; if the student fails, they go to the SRA class; if they just barely pass, they go to the English 4 class, which is like the SRA class without that name and a bit more variety; if they pass well, they have their choice of senior English class: anything from Film Analysis to Psychology in Literature.
The process is virtually the same for the sophomores and freshman, who have to take our individual standardized tests which can have the same results for them as the juniors: lower placement for next year's English. Why does it always seem that it's lower placement? I've never heard of a student who scores so high on a standardized test that they move him up to Honors or AP. That being said, I have had an Honors student fail the HSPAs and have to take both the SRA class and Honors English their senior year...
In a nutsell, the scope of standardized tests is far reaching and affects a great deal of the student's educational experience. Unfortunate.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Formative Assessment That Empowers
Sign me up to work in Armstrong, PA! I loved Brookhart, et. al.'s vignette about the initiative used in Armstrong; in fact, I was really surprised at how much support the teachers and students received. I'm not surprised by how effective the formative assessment was...I think it goes without saying that teachers and students who are allowed to discover opportunites for authentic learning for themselves are going to not only become more motivated, but also ensure that learning truly occurs. I also loved seeing how these endeavors helped increase performance on state tests, which unfortunately is where the realistic implications of this kind of program become clear.
I've addressed this topic before, of student ownership over the learning occurring in their classroom. It becomes increasingly clear the more articles and success stories one reads of this, the higher the stakes for ownership become. The authors relate several stories of success where ownership becomes a part of the classroom and the teachers' role shifts from instructor to facilatator. Again, this is a crucial paradigm shift in our instruction that we need to make more room for in our classrooms. One unit where I think I do this successfully is at the beginning of our study of "Huck Finn"...students go around to different learning centers to understand, analyze, and finally, create material all based around the novel: historical background, connections to students' lives, controversy surrounding, etc. You can see the learning happening on the students' faces and when it comes time to "formally" assess, the evidence is clear that learning has occurred.
This article also reinforced another aspect of this ownership, and that is the use of informing students of the learning objective [target]. This all goes back again to the use of rubrics ahead of time, so students have a clear understanding what is being asked of them. Another aspect that I liked was upping the level on class discussion and discourse. So many times, we rely on that vague concept of "discussion" to get things done, and I've seen some teachers able to do an amazing job with just discussion, and I've been able to learn from them, but I still have a long way to go. Discussion can really fall flat, but the example given here is one where discussion can come alive that doesn't have to really connect to students to really work, for example, when discussing a controversial issue. That doesn't have to be the only impetus for solid class discussion if handled right from the teacher.
I've addressed this topic before, of student ownership over the learning occurring in their classroom. It becomes increasingly clear the more articles and success stories one reads of this, the higher the stakes for ownership become. The authors relate several stories of success where ownership becomes a part of the classroom and the teachers' role shifts from instructor to facilatator. Again, this is a crucial paradigm shift in our instruction that we need to make more room for in our classrooms. One unit where I think I do this successfully is at the beginning of our study of "Huck Finn"...students go around to different learning centers to understand, analyze, and finally, create material all based around the novel: historical background, connections to students' lives, controversy surrounding, etc. You can see the learning happening on the students' faces and when it comes time to "formally" assess, the evidence is clear that learning has occurred.
This article also reinforced another aspect of this ownership, and that is the use of informing students of the learning objective [target]. This all goes back again to the use of rubrics ahead of time, so students have a clear understanding what is being asked of them. Another aspect that I liked was upping the level on class discussion and discourse. So many times, we rely on that vague concept of "discussion" to get things done, and I've seen some teachers able to do an amazing job with just discussion, and I've been able to learn from them, but I still have a long way to go. Discussion can really fall flat, but the example given here is one where discussion can come alive that doesn't have to really connect to students to really work, for example, when discussing a controversial issue. That doesn't have to be the only impetus for solid class discussion if handled right from the teacher.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
My Tests vs. Standardized Tests - Parent's Challenge
I'm not sure what's being criticized here: the amount of time given or the content of my tests vs. the state tests. I justify the amount of time I spend on tests because assessment is a vital aspect of any class's curriculum. At its basic level, it holds the students accountable for the material being learned. At a deeper level, it strengthens the skills that go along with test taking. A serious concern in my school district is the absence of midterms or finals. The common complaint I have with this is that we are not teaching our students to EVER sit for a test. When a student goes in for the first time for that HSPA test in March, and sits for 3+ hours for the test, that is a shock. Just the feeling of sitting for three hours and testing is a shock, let alone the feeling of actually testing. Whenever possible, I have my students write for the entire period; usually about once every two weeks, if time allows. I do this to not only test the certain writing skills I'm working on, but also to get used to sitting for that time and testing. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) at how so many of my students can't sit for that amount of time...we're talking 40 minutes here! What happens when they get to 3 hours? Or even 4+ hours on the SAT! My respone to any parent who would challenge this time I spend on writing would be shown the data and evidence of their child's writing and to show that this is not time wasted, but time NEEDED.
My second argument, if the challenge happens to be content based, would be that I model my tests on the HSPAs and SATs. We have a big push in our school for higher SAT scores (real original, right?) so the way I try to incorporate more SAT info in my curriculum is to model my writing assignments on the SAT writing assignments; for example, every week, my students have to write on a quote that I put on the board; this comes from the new SAT writing section, which allows 25 minutes for students to write on a quote that the SAT provides...they have to prove it true or false, and explain reasons why. This should be at least a three paragraph response. By doing this, I'm attempting to help the students become more familiar with the testing material so when it does appear in front of them on a Saturday morning, the fear and trepidation will give way to familiarity and comfort.
My second argument, if the challenge happens to be content based, would be that I model my tests on the HSPAs and SATs. We have a big push in our school for higher SAT scores (real original, right?) so the way I try to incorporate more SAT info in my curriculum is to model my writing assignments on the SAT writing assignments; for example, every week, my students have to write on a quote that I put on the board; this comes from the new SAT writing section, which allows 25 minutes for students to write on a quote that the SAT provides...they have to prove it true or false, and explain reasons why. This should be at least a three paragraph response. By doing this, I'm attempting to help the students become more familiar with the testing material so when it does appear in front of them on a Saturday morning, the fear and trepidation will give way to familiarity and comfort.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Standardized Writing Assessment
I was interested reading this article, especially seeing what other states have to offer in terms of standardized writing assessments. I did like Florida's requirement of a writing assessment for graduation. I do think that although the HSPAs are flawed, I do agree with its approach to assessing writing. The Holistic rubric does allow for some growth and it's written in a way that the kids can understand the grade they received. I was just doing this lesson today actually: I take several writing examples from a persuasive writing task and the class grades them using the state rubric. By doing this, the kids can recognize what a "2" paper is and say, "Hey, I know I don't want to do that, so what can I do to get the "4"'s and "5"'s? Now tomorrow they will go in and write on the same prompt that we went over in class today and hopefully learn from yesterday's lesson.
I don't enjoy teaching to the test, but really, this is the reality that our kids are living in. I can't, in good conscience, send them in to this test in 4 weeks with no preparation.
When the article goes on to talk about how technology is changing this, I remembered something I used to use called Criterion. The article goes on to describe something similar to this. This was an online writing assessment with the Holistic Scoring Guide built into it...kids would write on a persuasive prompt or a picture prompt and the computer, within a minute, would come back with the grade on the scale for them. It was most effective as a first draft, I felt...I always made kids rewrite what they wrote, even if it came back as a six...if it came back as a six, then I would tell the kids to strengthen their compositional risks, which I think is the hardest thing to get right on the HSPA...using techniques like flashback or a different point of view on a picture prompt, or taking a specific tone on a persuasive task.
To close, let me just reiterate how important it is that kids know this criteria/rubric ahead of time. The author goes on to say that kids can eventually use this information to create a rubric of their own, and that I think is the logical next step.
I don't enjoy teaching to the test, but really, this is the reality that our kids are living in. I can't, in good conscience, send them in to this test in 4 weeks with no preparation.
When the article goes on to talk about how technology is changing this, I remembered something I used to use called Criterion. The article goes on to describe something similar to this. This was an online writing assessment with the Holistic Scoring Guide built into it...kids would write on a persuasive prompt or a picture prompt and the computer, within a minute, would come back with the grade on the scale for them. It was most effective as a first draft, I felt...I always made kids rewrite what they wrote, even if it came back as a six...if it came back as a six, then I would tell the kids to strengthen their compositional risks, which I think is the hardest thing to get right on the HSPA...using techniques like flashback or a different point of view on a picture prompt, or taking a specific tone on a persuasive task.
To close, let me just reiterate how important it is that kids know this criteria/rubric ahead of time. The author goes on to say that kids can eventually use this information to create a rubric of their own, and that I think is the logical next step.
Friday, February 6, 2009
RAFT
Although I've never been in this exact situation before, I have had some experience in disappointing parents with bad news, so here we go!
Mr. Craig = MC
Angry Parent = AP
MC = "Good morning, Mrs. Underhill. This is Dan Craig, supervisor for the most expensive, and therefore, best school in the state. I'm calling to touch base with you about Casey's English placement for next year. I see you are pushing for her to remain in Honors, while her teacher has recommended her for the College Prep class. Is that about right?"
AP = "Yes, that's correct. And I have to say, that it's been a struggle all year. Casey's an Honors student, she has been for the last two years in English, and furthermore, she has maintained a B average. Now this year, she is lucky to get a C. I would like to know what is going on in this classroom and why this teacher's assignments are harder than in the past."
MC = "Well, that is certainly a valid question and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. Can I ask...what has been your contact with the teacher this year?"
AP = "Well, we've spoken on several occassions. He called at the beginning of the year to introduce himself, we met at back to school night, and then when Casey failed her first essay, he called me to discuss it, which I appreciated, but at the same time, I didn't see how she could've gotten the grade she did."
MC = "OK...thank you for that. To get back to what you were asking, I entirely agree that the assignments get harder as the students progress in the Honors track. The texts become harder to read and interpret, and as such, the teacher begins to ask more from the students regarding their analysis essays. The rubrics that are used in class are made familiar to the students prior to the assignment so the students are well aware of the assignment and expectations. This is part of the Honors program and part of the preparation for the college courses that Casey is enthusiastic about. Now, I have met with Casey and she intimated to me that while she wants to do better in this particular class, she admits a lack of interest in a lot of the material. Were you aware of this?"
AP = "Yes, but we've shown Casey that this is not an option. We've told her that she may have to take classes that she is not interested in and she still has to push herself to get all the work done and do the best she can."
MC = "And I agree with setting high expectations for our kids, but Casey will still be challenged in college level course, particularly at the senior level. Can I ask, what extracurriculars is Casey involved?"
AP = "Well, she does track, swim team, and debate, and she has a job at Shop-Rite, so she's a busy girl."
MC = "Well, that may be part of the issue, as well. It may benefit her greatly to drop down to this college prep level, considering all of what we've discussed today: the teacher recommendation, the grade output, the writing, her extracurriculars...is she in any other Honors courses?"
AP = "Yes, but she wants to become an English teacher, and she feels that being in Honors will look really good on her transcripts."
MC = "Well, I'm not convinced that that's the best reason to remain a "C"/"D" student in an Honors class. While some people subscribe to that philosophy that a "C" in Honors is like a "B" in a college prep class, it will affect her GPA as she moves forward. Furthermore, her HSPA scores are only proficient, not advanced, which would indicate that Honors is really where she does belong, but her score is only a 236, which is certainly good, but well below advanced proficient. When you look at her writing scores, coupled with the writing samples from her English class, she just does not meet the criteria for Honors at this time."
AP = "Mr. Craig, I hear you and I thank you for your input, but I strongly feel that she should be in this Honors class. If you're telling me that it's impossible, I'd like to hear some kind of alternative."
MC = "Well, Mrs. Underhill, the alternative is for Casey to go into this College Prep class next year. However, I can propose this. If you are truly concerned that Casey is not being challenged enough by this College Prep course, she can participate in our after school enrichment program. This is a program made for students who either need some help with assignment, or want to be pushed further and do more with their writing and reading. Casey is an ideal candidate for this type of program, and we should be able to see some marked improvement in her writing from this program within a month of taking it. Would that be something you'd be interested in looking into?"
AP = "Well, I am disappointed, but this program does sound like a solution to our problem. Let's go with the college prep placement and look into this after school program in some more depth."
MC = "Great. I think that's the best decision. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"
AP = "No thank you. Thanks for your time today."
MC = "No problem at all. I'll send you a copy of the literature on our after school program. Thanks again."
AP = "Thank you."
Mr. Craig = MC
Angry Parent = AP
MC = "Good morning, Mrs. Underhill. This is Dan Craig, supervisor for the most expensive, and therefore, best school in the state. I'm calling to touch base with you about Casey's English placement for next year. I see you are pushing for her to remain in Honors, while her teacher has recommended her for the College Prep class. Is that about right?"
AP = "Yes, that's correct. And I have to say, that it's been a struggle all year. Casey's an Honors student, she has been for the last two years in English, and furthermore, she has maintained a B average. Now this year, she is lucky to get a C. I would like to know what is going on in this classroom and why this teacher's assignments are harder than in the past."
MC = "Well, that is certainly a valid question and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. Can I ask...what has been your contact with the teacher this year?"
AP = "Well, we've spoken on several occassions. He called at the beginning of the year to introduce himself, we met at back to school night, and then when Casey failed her first essay, he called me to discuss it, which I appreciated, but at the same time, I didn't see how she could've gotten the grade she did."
MC = "OK...thank you for that. To get back to what you were asking, I entirely agree that the assignments get harder as the students progress in the Honors track. The texts become harder to read and interpret, and as such, the teacher begins to ask more from the students regarding their analysis essays. The rubrics that are used in class are made familiar to the students prior to the assignment so the students are well aware of the assignment and expectations. This is part of the Honors program and part of the preparation for the college courses that Casey is enthusiastic about. Now, I have met with Casey and she intimated to me that while she wants to do better in this particular class, she admits a lack of interest in a lot of the material. Were you aware of this?"
AP = "Yes, but we've shown Casey that this is not an option. We've told her that she may have to take classes that she is not interested in and she still has to push herself to get all the work done and do the best she can."
MC = "And I agree with setting high expectations for our kids, but Casey will still be challenged in college level course, particularly at the senior level. Can I ask, what extracurriculars is Casey involved?"
AP = "Well, she does track, swim team, and debate, and she has a job at Shop-Rite, so she's a busy girl."
MC = "Well, that may be part of the issue, as well. It may benefit her greatly to drop down to this college prep level, considering all of what we've discussed today: the teacher recommendation, the grade output, the writing, her extracurriculars...is she in any other Honors courses?"
AP = "Yes, but she wants to become an English teacher, and she feels that being in Honors will look really good on her transcripts."
MC = "Well, I'm not convinced that that's the best reason to remain a "C"/"D" student in an Honors class. While some people subscribe to that philosophy that a "C" in Honors is like a "B" in a college prep class, it will affect her GPA as she moves forward. Furthermore, her HSPA scores are only proficient, not advanced, which would indicate that Honors is really where she does belong, but her score is only a 236, which is certainly good, but well below advanced proficient. When you look at her writing scores, coupled with the writing samples from her English class, she just does not meet the criteria for Honors at this time."
AP = "Mr. Craig, I hear you and I thank you for your input, but I strongly feel that she should be in this Honors class. If you're telling me that it's impossible, I'd like to hear some kind of alternative."
MC = "Well, Mrs. Underhill, the alternative is for Casey to go into this College Prep class next year. However, I can propose this. If you are truly concerned that Casey is not being challenged enough by this College Prep course, she can participate in our after school enrichment program. This is a program made for students who either need some help with assignment, or want to be pushed further and do more with their writing and reading. Casey is an ideal candidate for this type of program, and we should be able to see some marked improvement in her writing from this program within a month of taking it. Would that be something you'd be interested in looking into?"
AP = "Well, I am disappointed, but this program does sound like a solution to our problem. Let's go with the college prep placement and look into this after school program in some more depth."
MC = "Great. I think that's the best decision. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"
AP = "No thank you. Thanks for your time today."
MC = "No problem at all. I'll send you a copy of the literature on our after school program. Thanks again."
AP = "Thank you."
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
What Data Do I Use in my Classroom?
Like I said earlier, there is so much data at my fingertips...I go back to writing because it is such a strong feature of my classroom. I remember I used to do all different kinds of projects which involved elaborate cutting and pasting, painting, decoration, and so on and so on. After I while, I said why? The only thing these projects measure is how artistic my students can be. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that these type of projects, if given the right parameters, can be rewarding and enable the kids for success. But they need to be limited in the English classroom.
Data takes many forms...essays, grammar, content, style, syntax, etc...Students keep a writing portfolio in my class to see how their writing has improved over the course of the year and this has been successful in this aspect. This data enables me to adjust assignments accordingly, to meet individually with my students on their particular writing issues and I can create future assessments based on what they've had trouble with in the past.
Really this just scratches the surface of the data used in my classroom...test and quiz scores, informal writing, formal writing, personality of students, IEPs, 504s, parental influence...all of this data affects how I go about what I do in the classroom. The data is overwhelming, and, in reality, underused.
Data takes many forms...essays, grammar, content, style, syntax, etc...Students keep a writing portfolio in my class to see how their writing has improved over the course of the year and this has been successful in this aspect. This data enables me to adjust assignments accordingly, to meet individually with my students on their particular writing issues and I can create future assessments based on what they've had trouble with in the past.
Really this just scratches the surface of the data used in my classroom...test and quiz scores, informal writing, formal writing, personality of students, IEPs, 504s, parental influence...all of this data affects how I go about what I do in the classroom. The data is overwhelming, and, in reality, underused.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
How Have Assessments Influenced My Life?
I guess when you really think about that question, you have to take into consideration everything that testing implies: the pressure, the rewards, the planning, the preparation, the creation, etc. So many people are fond of saying that life is a test, and to a degree, that's true, but I've found that this changes drastically the older I get.
When I was in high school, I'm sorry to say, I don't think I ever got too upset or worried about any test beforehand (save for my driver's test). I probably didn't get really serious about tests until college, and then that's because I finally realized then why education was important. Probably the most significant tests I've taken are the Praxis exams...my whole future rode on the outcome of those tests. But I'll always remember once I had taken all the Praxis exams I would take, every student had to take the equivalency of an eighth-grade math test to teach high school in NJ. This freaked me out like nothing else; I had never received higher than a C in any math class in school. Now this one test was going to decide if I got a license to teach high school English? What does math have to do with that? (As I was about to realize, quite a lot, actually). So, after the initial trepidation and anxiety, I passed the test. Done and done.
Now that so much of my professional life involves creating assessment, testing has taken on a stronger role. I wish that assessment was addressed more when I was an undergrad...I think it would have made my first year that much easier. When I first started teaching, my district emphasized "individual measurement" of each assessment or "How is each individual student assessed on this test?" That was such a foreign concept at first, I wasn't sure how to proceed, but of course, the answers became clear.
Testing influences my life because I have to look at how each student will respond to the most recent test I am creating...I am forced to create different assessments while balancing the needs of the state mandated testing to give my students the tools needed to, in the short term, write the persuasive essay, and in the long term, be a better person. Can testing accomplish all that?
When I was in high school, I'm sorry to say, I don't think I ever got too upset or worried about any test beforehand (save for my driver's test). I probably didn't get really serious about tests until college, and then that's because I finally realized then why education was important. Probably the most significant tests I've taken are the Praxis exams...my whole future rode on the outcome of those tests. But I'll always remember once I had taken all the Praxis exams I would take, every student had to take the equivalency of an eighth-grade math test to teach high school in NJ. This freaked me out like nothing else; I had never received higher than a C in any math class in school. Now this one test was going to decide if I got a license to teach high school English? What does math have to do with that? (As I was about to realize, quite a lot, actually). So, after the initial trepidation and anxiety, I passed the test. Done and done.
Now that so much of my professional life involves creating assessment, testing has taken on a stronger role. I wish that assessment was addressed more when I was an undergrad...I think it would have made my first year that much easier. When I first started teaching, my district emphasized "individual measurement" of each assessment or "How is each individual student assessed on this test?" That was such a foreign concept at first, I wasn't sure how to proceed, but of course, the answers became clear.
Testing influences my life because I have to look at how each student will respond to the most recent test I am creating...I am forced to create different assessments while balancing the needs of the state mandated testing to give my students the tools needed to, in the short term, write the persuasive essay, and in the long term, be a better person. Can testing accomplish all that?
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