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Interversity Quotes"I think it's time to ask the Standardistos: Where's the test for compassion? For honesty? For curiosity? For moral commitment? Until they can answer, let's tell them to shut up." —Susan Ohanian (One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards) Interversity ProjectsEchoes of Orwell:The purpose of this webforum is to promote a lively discussion among students and faculty alike about George Orwell's 1984 and the parallels or echoes found in today's society. |
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In the letter to the editor of the Washington Post that follow, I laid out a line of argument that seems very reasonable to me but I know of no evidence that might bear on my contention. Does anyone? Jerry ----- Original Message ----- From: GERALD BRACEY To: letters@washpost.com Cc: Maria Glod Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 9:07 AM Subject: reading Maria Glod quotes Fairfax Superintendent Jack Dale as saying that Fairfax will test immigrants with the same tests used for native-born kids "when they've learned enough English to have it (the test) in front of them." This is a lot harder to determine than the article makes it seem. Classroom teachers by and large are not trying to make fools of kids. Tests always are. Given a 5-choice multiple-choice question, four of the choices will be wrong. If the test maker cannot fool enough students into picking one of those four wrong answers, the test will not "behave" properly, this behavior being defined by certain statistical properties. The ability to choose the right answer among five options likely requires a mastery of English that is more subtle and sophisticated than what is needed to succeed in the classroom. Gerald W. Bracey 1797 Duffield Lane Alexandria, VA 22307 703-317-1716 The writer is a former Director of Research, Evaluation and Testing for the Virginia Department of Education.
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