In this post, I would like to address some thoughts on instruction and analyzing a standardized test. Since standardized tests are highly emphasized in today's schools, "teaching to the test" has become a popular catchphrase. I found some suggestions here for teachers and districts to have students succeed on standardized tests, but not to let good instruction go out of the window. Some of the suggestions include to make sure that students are performing according to Bloom's Taxonomy- that they are meeting the higher levels and are "creating," "developing," and "evaluating" rather then only "identifying," "selecting," or "choosing." Also, teachers should ensure that students work collaboratively with others. As we have learned from social learning theory, students learn well from their peers. Like we have discussed in class as well, good instruction does not include word finds, puzzles, and fill in the blank. Having complete worksheets at their seats leaves them unengaged and uninterested. They may be memorizing vocabulary, but will not understand the meaning.
I found old standardized tests here and I looked at the test from fifth grade. Every single one of the test questions is multiple choice. The multiple choice options are either single words, phrases, or pictures. If we look at this in terms of Bloom's Taxonomy, students are not very high on the pyramid. On some of the multiple choice options, not all of the answers are viable- option answers differ by a few letters or contain subtle differences- testing the students' carefulness rather than their knowledge. From looking at the test, some of the diagrams were confusing to me as a college senior. They were not very clear and sometimes too complex. As students can not ask questions during testing, I would find it hard to interpret some of the diagrams without receiving clarification. Some questions tested vocabulary and concept knowledge and other discussed diagram reading and application.
Works Cited:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/css05rtq.asp
http://www.ct4me.net/standardized_test_preparation.htm
I'm glad to see that you are researching about this. For me this is one of the most troubling things about becoming a teacher. Obviously the easy way out is to hand students worksheets and have them memorize test criteria. The hard, but rewarding part is to teach everything students need to know by letting them create and develop their own ideas. How much more meaningful our jobs would be if we could help student develop knowledge they will actually hold on to, not just write on a test and forget about!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting on this topic...I think as future teachers, the terms "standardized testing" have become fear-inducing- for good reason. I constantly worry about the battle between teaching what I think students need to know and what they have to know for tests...especially if I don't agree with some of the information. I recently posted an "interview" with my practicum teacher, and asked her about this topic. I like that she said, yes, you need to make sure students know what they need to know for tests, but if you don't necessarily agree with something, you can encourage students to think that there are other ways to understand something, etc.
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