I have taken many standard tests over the years.
When in elementary and middle school I took the required tests annually for
math, reading, and English. I do not recall what they were called and I am sure
the name of it has changed since then. They were the basic standardized tests
you took when you were in those grades though. The next test I took was my high
school entrance exam. I went to private high school and one of their
requirements was to take that standardized test. This test determined along with
your grades what classes you would be placed in. For example college prep,
honors, or if you needed additional study you would be placed in lower courses.
My high school also gave the option of taking science and math tests to
determine if you could be placed higher, I did not take these tests. With my
standardized test results I was placed in Honors English, History, and Algebra.
I will be honest and say that I do not entirely agree with my testing results.
I did not belong in Honors English at all. I struggled a lot with the course my
freshman year and when it came time to sign up for my sophomore courses I opted
to go with the college prep course. I stuck it out with history and dropped
down my math course as well. It was not that I could not follow the math but I
think that I took on too heavy a course load so I fell too far behind in math.
More recently I have taken the SATS, PCAT, PRAXIS, and GRE. I was able to take
both the old and the new SATS. I did better on the old one than the new one but
not significantly. Again I do struggle with writing so when they implemented
that section I was all but thrilled. I had a dream to be a pharmacist, before I
worked as pharmacy technician for the past 6 years. I took the PCAT once. It is
a long and enduring test. It is by far the hardest standardized test I have
ever taken. I would compare the PRAXIS I and GRE side by side. They are both
very similar. Both of them you get to take on a computer which I like a lot
better than being crammed in a room with students at tiny desks trying to
complete a 25 page booklet. Also rather than having the anxiety of waiting as
you have to do with written tests the computer tests give you your scores as
soon as you are done. The only part you have to wait for scoring is the written
section. From all of these tests I have learned that I have a very hard time
writing things on the spot or trying to formulate ideas quickly. I never score
well on the writing sections and I know that it is because my ideas are
scattered and not fully explained.
The common core was not put in place when I took any
of these tests. I do think it might have made the tests a little more difficult
had I been taught that way. I do not have a lot of experience with the common
core but I feel like it can sometimes make math problems harder than what they
are. It makes you think about it differently and that can take up more time.
Standardized tests are timed and that can be an added stressor, spending too
much time on one problem.
I think the motivation behind standardized testing
is to put all students on an even playing field so they can be measured. If
every student takes the same test it allows administrators to readily determine
which sections the class may need to work harder in or which they are
excelling, which can then help to improve curriculum. Standardized tests are
also used to determine if a person is qualified to pursue a career in a
specialized field. If they do not score particularly well they run the risk of
not being admitted into graduate schools or perhaps not getting a promotion at
work. If everyone is on an even playing field of scoring then nobody can claim
that favoritism came into play with grades. It makes everything concrete and
fair. Then there is the factor of people that do not test well, but that is
another ball game.
References:
Popham, W.
(2008). Why do Teachers Need to Know About Assessment? In Classroom Assessment: What Teachers Need to
Know (7th ed., pp. 1-19). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.
Meador, D. (n.d.).
Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing. Retrieved from http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/a/Standardized-Testing.htm
U.S. Secretary of
Education Duncan Announces Winners of Competition to Improve Student
Assessments. (2010, September 1). Retrieved from
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-secretary-education-duncan-announces-winners-competition-improve-student-asse
That's an interesting insight into private schools. I have never had any experience with private schools so I personally have no idea how they run so it was interesting to see how they dealt with placement of students. I am curious to know though, was your experience with the placement tests similar with a majority of the students or were you more of an anomaly? Placement for students is something that I have been nervous about because I have seen many times where there is discrepancy between what the teacher suggests, what the parents suggest, and where the student's abilities fall in terms of what level of classes to take. We try to base what we suggest for the students based on what we see in class and our own assessments we give, but that's really only as good as we make the assessments.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that my middle school did not prepare me adequately for high school so I think that affected me in my classes, particularly the honors ones. My grades were great so they probably took that into account when placing me as well which unfortunately did not reflect how I would do in the future. Freshman year was a wake up call for me. I did see that a few students opted to take the college prep courses as well the next year. I believe it probably does occur more often than not. The students just need to be able to admit when they are taking on too much. Honors and AP classes look great to colleges but not if you are not doing well in them. I was smart enough to know that I was biting off more than I could chew. In the next couple years I was able to get back into the honors classes more prepared than before.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, you bring up a good point about not all students "testing well." Why do you think that is? Do you believe it is a real, physical thing or is it completely psychological?
ReplyDeleteWhat can teachers do to make testing more comfortable for students?
When I was a freshman in college, I took an Intro to Chemistry class in a lecture hall with about 100 students. That was the largest class I had ever taken. I did not do well on my first few tests and exams in that class. After sharing my grade with me, the professor offered for me to re-take a different version of the test in his office, which was smaller, quieter, and more private. There were three other students taking the exam as well. I ended up not doing much better than I had done before and still received a low "C" grade, but at least I felt that my professor had fully invested in my education.
Can you think of some other strategies that teachers can use to ensure their students are doing well with their testing?