Teaching to the Test Pros and Cons

Standardized tests have become a mainstay of the U.S.  educational system. While studies find a negative relationship between test preparation and instructional quality, some experts believe that concerns about teaching to the test may be exaggerated. Standardized tests became the norm in elementary and secondary classrooms across the United States in 2001, when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) under President George W. Bush. NCLB was a reauthorization of the  Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)  and established a greater role for the federal government in education policy. While the legislation did not set a national benchmark for test scores, it did require states to annually  assess students in math and reading in grades 3-8 and one year in high school. Students were to show â€Å"adequate yearly progress† and schools and teachers were held accountable for the results.  According to Edutopia: One of the biggest complaints about NCLB was the test-and-punish nature of the law — the high-stakes consequences attached to student standardized test scores. The law unintentionally incentivized a focus on test prep and the narrowing of the curriculum in some schools, as well as the over-testing of students in some places. In December 2015, NCLB was replaced when President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which passed through Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. While the ESSA still requires an annual assessment, the nation’s newest education law removes many of the negative consequences associated with NCLB, such as possible closures for low-performing schools. Although the stakes are now lower, standardized testing still remains an important fixture of education policy in the United States. Much of the criticism of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law was that its over reliance on standardized assessments — and the subsequent pressure it put on teachers due to its punitive nature — encouraged educators to â€Å"teach to the test† at the expense of actual learning. That criticism also applies to the ESSA. Teaching to the Test Doesnt Develop Critical Thinking One of the earliest critics of standardized testing in the United States was W. James Popham, Emeritus Professor at the University of California-Los Angeles,  who in 2001 expressed concern that educators were using practice exercises that were so similar  to the questions on high stakes tests that â€Å"it’s tough to tell which is which.† Popham distinguished between â€Å"item-teaching,† where teachers organize their instruction around test questions, and â€Å"curriculum-teaching,† which requires teachers to direct their instruction toward specific content knowledge or cognitive skills. The problem with item-teaching, he argued, is that it makes it impossible to evaluate what a student really knows and diminishes the validity of test scores. Other scholars  made similar arguments about the negative consequences of teaching to the test. In 2016, Hani Morgan, associate professor of education at the University of Southern Mississippi, wrote that learning based on memorization  and recall may improve student performance on tests, but fails to develop higher-level thinking skills. Furthermore, teaching to the test often prioritizes linguistic and mathematical intelligences at the expense of a well-rounded education that fosters creative, research, and public speaking skills. How Standardized Testing Affects Low Income and Minority Students One of the main arguments in favor of standardized testing is that it’s necessary for accountability. Morgan noted that an overreliance on standardized testing is particularly harmful for low-income  and minority students, who are more likely to attend low-performing high schools. She wrote that â€Å"since teachers face pressure to improve scores and since poverty-stricken students generally underperform on high-stakes tests, schools serving low-income students are more likely to implement a style of teaching based on drilling and memorization that leads to little learning.† In contrast,  some testing advocates — including representatives of civil rights groups — said that assessment, accountability and reporting  should be maintained in order to force schools to do better in their efforts to educate low-income students and students of color, and reduce achievement gaps. Quality of Tests May Affect Quality of Instruction Other recent studies have explored teaching to the test from the perspective of the quality of the tests themselves. According to this research, the tests that states are using are not always aligned with the curriculum that schools are using. If the tests are aligned with state standards, they should provide a better assessment of what students actually know. In  a  2016 article for the Brookings Institute, Michael Hansen, senior fellow and director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institute,  argued that assessments aligned to the Common Core Standards â€Å"have recently been shown to improve upon even the best of the prior generation of state assessments.† Hansen wrote that concerns about teaching to the test are exaggerated and that high quality tests should furthermore improve the quality of the curriculum. Better Tests May Not Mean Better Teaching However, a 2017 study found that  better tests do not always equate to better teaching. While David Blazar, assistant professor of education policy and economics at the University of Maryland, and Cynthia Pollard, a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, agree with Hansen that worries of teaching to the test may be overstated, they dispute the argument that better tests elevate test preparation to ambitious teaching. They found a negative relationship between test preparation and quality of instruction. In addition, an instructional focus on test preparation  narrowed the curriculum. In an educational environment that looks at new assessments as a solution to low quality instruction, Blazar and Pollard recommended that educators might want to shift their focus away from whether or not standardized test lead to better or worse teaching, to creating better opportunities for teachers: While current testing debates rightfully note the importance of alignment between standards and assessments, we argue that just as important may be the alignment of professional development and other supports to help all teachers and students meet the ideals set out by instructional reforms.

Fun Ways to Assess Student Learning Informally

There are a variety of ways to assess a student’s progress and understanding. Two of the primary methods are formal and informal assessments. Formal assessments include tests, quizzes, and projects. Students can study  and prepare for these assessments in advance, and they provide a systematic tool for teachers to measure a student’s knowledge and evaluate learning progress. Informal assessments are more casual, observation-based tools. With little advance preparation and no need to grade the results, these assessments allow teachers to get a feel for student progress and identify areas in which they might need more instruction. Informal assessments can help teachers  pinpoint students’ strengths and  weaknesses and guide planning for upcoming lessons.   In the classroom, informal assessments are important because they can help identify potential problem areas and allow for course correction before students are required to demonstrate understanding at a formal evaluation. Many homeschooling families prefer to rely almost entirely on informal assessments because they are often a more accurate indicator of understanding, particularly for students who don’t test well. Informal assessments can also provide vital student feedback without the stress of tests and quizzes. Following are just a few examples of creative informal assessments for your classroom or homeschool. Observation Observation is the heart of any informal assessment, but it is also a key stand-alone method. Simply watch your student throughout the day. Look for signs of excitement, frustration, boredom, and engagement. Make notes about the tasks and activities that elicit these emotions. Keep samples of student work in  chronological order  so that you can identify progress and areas of weakness. Sometimes you don’t realize how much a student has progressed until you compare their current work to previous samples. Author Joyce Herzog has a simple but effective method of observing progress. Ask your student to do simple tasks such as writing an example of each math operation he understands, writing the most complicated word he knows he can spell correctly, or  writing a sentence (or short paragraph). Do the same process once a quarter or once a semester to gauge progress. Oral Presentations We often think of oral presentations as a type of formal assessment, but they can be a fantastic informal assessment tool, as well. Set a timer for  one or two  minutes and ask your student to tell you what he’s learned about a particular topic. For example, if you are learning about parts of speech, you could ask your students to name as many prepositions as they can in 30 seconds while you write them on the whiteboard. A broader approach is to present students with a sentence starter and let them take turns finishing it. Examples include: â€Å"My favorite thing about this topic was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"The most interesting or surprising thing I learned about this was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"This historical figure was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Journaling Give your students one to three minutes at the end of each day to journal about what they learned. Vary the daily journaling experience by asking students to: list 5-10 facts they’ve learned about a topicwrite about the most exciting thing they learned that daylist one or two things they’d like to know more aboutnote something that they’re having trouble understandinglist ways that you could help them understand a topic better. Paper Toss Let your students write questions for each other on a piece of paper. Instruct students to crumple their paper, and let them have an epic paper wad toss. Then, have all the students pick up one of the paper balls, read the question aloud, and answer it. This activity wouldn’t work well in most homeschool settings, but it’s an excellent way for students in a classroom or homeschool co-op to get the wiggles out and check their knowledge on a topic they’ve been studying. Four Corners Four Corners is another fantastic activity for getting kids up and moving while also assessing their knowledge. Label each corner of the room with a different option such as strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, or A, B, C, and D. Read a question or statement and have students go to the corner of the room that represents their answer. After students reach their corner, allow them a minute or  two to discuss their choice in their group. Then, choose a representative from each group to explain or defend that group’s answer. Matching/Concentration Let your students play matching (also known as  concentration) in groups or pairs. Write questions on one set of cards and answers on the other. Shuffle the cards and lay them, one by one, face down on a table. Students take turns turning over two cards trying to match a question card with the correct answer card. If a student makes a match, he gets another turn. If he does not, it’s the next players turn. The student with the most matches wins. Concentration is an extremely versatile game. You can use math facts and their answers, vocabulary words and their definitions, or historical figures or events with their dates or details. Exit Slips At the end of each day or week, have your students complete an exit slip before leaving the classroom. Index cards work well for this activity. You can have the questions printed on the cards, written on the whiteboard, or you can read them aloud. Ask your students to fill out the card with answers to statements such as: Three  things I learnedTwo  questions I haveOne thing I didn’t understandWhat I found most interesting This is an excellent activity for gauging what students have retained about the topic they are studying and to determine areas which may need more explanation. Demonstration Supply the tools and let students show you what they know, explaining the process as they go. If they’re learning about measurements, provide rulers or a tape measure and items to measure. If they’re studying plants, offer a variety of plants and let students point out the different parts of the plant and explain what each does. If students are learning about biomes, provide the settings for each (drawings, photos, or dioramas, for example) and model plants, animals, or insects that one might find in the biomes represented. Let students place the figures in their correct settings and explain why they belong there or what they know about each. Drawings Drawing is an excellent way for creative, artistic, or kinesthetic learners to express what they’ve learned. They can draw the steps of a process or create a comic strip to depict a historical event. They can draw and label plants, cells, or the parts of a knight’s armor. Crossword puzzles Crossword puzzles make a fun, stress-free informal assessment tool. Create puzzles with a crossword puzzle maker, using definitions or descriptions as the clues. Accurate answers result in a correctly-completed puzzle. You can use crossword puzzles to evaluate understanding of a variety of history, science, or literature topics such as states, presidents, animals, or even sports. Narration Narration is a method of student evaluation widely used in homeschooling circles and inspired by Charlotte Mason, a British educator, at the turn of the 20th century. The practice involves having a student tell you, in his own words, what he has heard after a read-aloud or learned after studying a topic. Explaining something in one’s own words requires comprehension of the subject. Using narration is a useful tool for discovering what a student has learned and identifying areas that you may need to  cover more thoroughly. Drama Invite students to act out scenes or create puppet shows from topics they’ve been studying. This is especially effective for historical events or biographical studies. Drama can be an exceptionally valuable and easy-to-implement tool for homeschooling families. It’s common for young children to incorporate what they’re learning into their pretend play. Listen and observe as your children play to evaluate what they’re learning and what you may need to clarify. Student Self-evaluation Use self-evaluation to help students  reflect on and assess  their own progress.  There are many options for a simple self-assessment. One is to ask students to raise their hands to indicate which  statement applies to them: â€Å"I fully understand the topic,† â€Å"I mostly understand the topic,† â€Å"I’m a little confused,† or â€Å"I need help.† Another option is to ask students to give a thumbs up, a sideways thumb, or a thumbs down to indicate fully understand, mostly understand, or need help. Or use a five-finger scale and have students hold up the number of fingers that corresponds to their level of understanding. You may also want to create a self-evaluation form for students to complete. The form can list statements about the assignment and boxes for students to check if they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree that the statement applies to their assignment. This type of self-evaluation would also be useful for students to rate their behavior or participation in class.

Poem Analysis Not Waving But Drowning - 1263 Words

The poem Not Waving but Drowning was published in 1957 and is one of Stevie Smith s most well-known poems. Reading the poem, some may feel a chill of desperation and a sense of longing for someone. The plot of the story is a man s journey to a place of despair ,and no matter what the man accomplishes he will eventually drown.Stevie Smith s Not waving but Drowning uses figures of speech such as imagery, and allegory. The imagery adds a visual to what the characters world is like in his eyes, The use of allegory is to get a message across to its readers without actually saying it.He is battling an obstacle that he feels can never be overcome. With all the disappointment and regrets crushing over him, he is broken . Not Waving but drowning, begins with a straightforward cry for help. A man drowning and all he is too far away to be seen or heard by his friends. What is interesting about the poem, is its use of depressing humor, and ridiculous comments about the man. In an article written by Edward J. Mallot called â€Å"Not Drowning but Waving: Stevie Smith and The language of the Lake.†, Mallot explains Stevie Smith s writing style, and technique. The article lists three different personas used in the poem. Knowing the different personas helps the reader understand what is going on. The list of personas include the audience, the man drowning and his peers which Mallot puts into detail in his article,â€Å"The drowned man trying†¦ and still failing†¦ to articulate his unhappiness,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Not Waving But Drowning By Stevie Smith1193 Words   |  5 Pages Five Poem Assignment 1. â€Å"Not Waving but Drowning† by Stevie Smith has three stanzas, all of which are quatrains and are rhymed abcb . The genre is a lyric and the theme is death and isolation. In the beginning of the poem, the narrator tells us that nobody heard the drowning man or his recounting moans for help yet he continued to cry, waving his arms hoping someone would come and save him. By waving his arms the crowd believed that this was just a friendly gesture so we can interpret that atRead MoreStudy Notes on Out of the Blue by Simon Armitage3230 Words   |  13 PagesAnalysis of the poem Simon Armitages poem Out of the Blue is taken his from 2008 anthology of the same name. According to the books publishers, the poems in the anthology are presented in the form of a respone to  three separate conflicts, all of which have  changed the  world we live  in. Told from the point of view of an English trader working in the North Tower of the World Trade Centre, the poem forms part of the film Out Of The Blue  commissioned by Channel 5 and broadcast five years afterRead Morepreschool Essay46149 Words   |  185 Pagesfrom diverse linguistic or cultural communities, arts-based activities can provide a link between home and preschool. Teachers welcome children’s cultures to preschool programs when they encourage children and families to share songs, dances, poems, music, visual art, or art-related objects and practices from home. Programs serving diverse children can create positive learning opportunities, culturally relevant curricula, and a sense of community by including visual and performing arts that

New York Essay free essay sample

Upon arrival into the jungle of vast buildings, the first thing noticed is the mobbed streets filled with taxi cabs and cars going to and fro in numerous directions, with the scent of exhaust surfing through the air. As you progress deeper into the inner city and exit your vehicle, the aroma of the many restaurants passes through your nostrils and gives you a craving for a? NY Hot Dog? sold by the street venders on the corner calling out your name. As you continue your journey you are passed by the ongoing flow of pedestrians talking on their cell phones and drinking a Starbucks while enjoying the city. The constant commotion of conversing voices rage up and down the streets as someone calls for a fast taxi. A mixed sound of various music styles all band together to form one wild tune. New York City has many cultures and billions of places to visit. We will write a custom essay sample on New York Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It would take someone years to visit everything in New York City it may be impossible. But NYC is always awake and always waiting for new people to bask in its glory. Some of the best attractions for a visit to NYC are blo nightclub, the champagne Fashion Brunch, The Empire state building, Majestic Theatre, The Sopranos Tour, and the Central Park movie tour! We hope to see you soon. Experience some New York City Nightlife by visiting one of the hottest clubs in town blo (pronounced be-low) for a low price of only $75 per person. The club is located underground and has cocktail lounges, sitting rooms, and DJs who know just the right beat! One of blos major features is the high-tech lighting that has an incredible effect of the mood of the club. New  York City  is the place that I want to visit, revisit, and visit again. Out there on the streets, I feel free. When coming from New Jersey to New  York City  on he New Jersey Transit tTrain, which is grimy but comfortable, it is an experience unlike I have ever felt before. Crossing under the  Hudson River  and coming into the crammedjam-packed full station is reminiscent of having some kind of travel machine bringing you from earth to space in a flash. When I visited, I felt akin to doing anything and everything in the city’sies grips. Living in America is a fantastic privi lege; living in New  York City  is something further even better. As you stagger up those stairs to the city streets and you capture that first breath of city air, you declare to yourself, this is Freedom! The buildings are so astonishingly tall and eye-catching. These buildings encompass the most distinctive architecture I have ever seen in my lifetime. I think to myself, there are so many buildings here I find it hard to believe that man is capable of putting them up, but on the other hand alsond knocking them down. The buildings look like they had plunged from God’s hands.   Summarize the text: Main Idea. New York City it is usually the extraordinary buildings that pierce the sky or the congested sidewalks. The streets are filled with an atmosphere that is like a young child on a shopping spree in a candy store. Although you find yourself pressing on with the yearning to discover the New York Experience. As you continue your journey you are passed by the ongoing flow of pedestrians talking on their cell phones and drinking a Starbucks while enjoying the city. The constant commotion of conversing voices rage up and down the streets as someone calls for a fast taxi New York City has many cultures and billions of places to visit. It would take someone years to visit everything in New York City it may be impossible. But NYC is always awake and always waiting for new people to bask in its glory. New  York City  is the place that out there on the streets, you can feel free.. As you stagger up those stairs to the city streets and you capture that first breath of city air, you declare to yourself, this is Freedom! The buildings are so astonishingly tall and eye-catching. These buildings encompass the most distinctive architecture I have ever seen in my lifetime.