The+Truth+About+Testing

Do high-stakes tests have an impact on educational quality? How?

On page 2, Popham sets out two objectives. How do you see these objectives relating to this course? And has reading his work led you to the achievement of these objectives?

Popham writes, "I do not believe America's educators are the guiltless victims of an evil imposed by wrong-thinking policymakers. I think the education profession itself is fundamentally at fault. We allowed students' test scores to become the indicator of our effectiveness. We failed to halt the profound misuse of standardized achievement tests to judge our educational quality. We let this happen to ourselves. And more grievously, we let it happen to the children we are supposed to be educating. Shame on us" (p. 12-13). Do you agree, disagree? Can you shed light on this statement with any personal stories?

Popham asserts on p. 20-21, "the ultimate consequence of unsound high-stakes testing is a seriously diminished education." Do you agree, disagree? Can you shed light on this statement with any personal stories?

Popham makes the claim that we suffer from 'assessment illiteracy.' This book was published in 2001. Do you believe we still suffer from assessment illiteracy? Do the policymakers who create the testing bureaucracy understand assessment?

How can we apply diagram 2.1 on page 29 to alternative assessments (that which we are exploring in this course)? How do you see this diagram and Reeves' framework connecting?

Popham asserts that there are three "missions" of testing: grades, motivation, and to help inform instruction. Are there other ways besides standardized testing to gather data to inform instructional decisions?

__Bridget__ 1. Popham primarily addresses issues with multiple-choice test items. In thinking about the PSSA in reading and writing, students also have to write short and long open-ended responses. What are the potential issues with these types of questions, as well as the scoring of them?

2. The evidence of SES- and inherited ability-linked questions is clear in the examples he provides. However, is it possible to avoid this issue completely? Couldn't the same argument be made for any question, since students of different backgrounds have had different social and academic experiences?

3. If, in the future, we are able to make positive changes to standardized tests, how can we overcome the firmly rooted lack of motivation in students? How can we convince them that the new assessments are, in fact, useful to them?

4. At the end of the book, Popham offers many action options for teachers, administrators, and parents. Would it be possible for students to get involved in the process? What could we do to make sure that their voices are heard and valued?

__Jamie__ 1. In the situation of persuasive essay, am I correct in thinking that students' assessments were presented to parents in a narrative with general data about scoring? How will parents respond when there isn't a clear cut grade? Or the principal? How do these improvements correlate to percent grades in our grade driven society?

2. In relation to the history example assessments, how can this be applied in Algebra? Math is very linear, if you miss one skill it makes the next skill difficult or impossible. With history you can learn many lessons and apply them together but you do not have to. In Algebra, certain skills NEED to be applied together, thus all the little details (facts) are needed.

3. This seems obvious and simple but, why are so many standards identified as important?

4. If on the Hawaii State Assessment students must answer formally written questions in language arts, why are students not assessed on their formal english writing skills? I agree students are at a disadvantage due to families speaking pidgin at home. Students are allowed to write in pidgin for the essay portion. Why is there an inconsistency?