tests are secure but answers aren't

[Susan Ohanian <SOhan70241@AOL.COM>]

You don't have to be right-wing paranoid to find this troubling: "Set up"
students to reveal something--and it can be anything the people in charge
decide--and then, when you find their answers troubling, you go track down
the students. We've seen scattered examples of this in this country--with
students' "violent" responses to essay questions (that solicited "violent"
responses). But this is the first example I know of where the prompt isn't
just careless (or stupid) but a deliberate attempt for kids to incriminate
themselves.

Does anybody else worry about the Orwellian possibilities here? I admit to
being very sympathetic to the conservative position that people in schools
must be very careful about meddling in "personal" stuff. Another one of those
very complicated, non black/white issues.

But isn't it interesting that while teachers across America are not allowed
to discuss the tests in any way because these tests are "secure," no such
security is awarded to the kids' answers? Minimum wage test correctors are
alerted to watch for certain things (some people say there's a list; other
people deny the existence of the list), and then individual answers are sent
first to headquarters and then to school officials, police, whomever.

The Orwellian possibilities are truly chilling.
Susan O.

BBC NEWS
   You are in: UK: Northern Ireland


  Wednesday, 31 May, 2000, 16:20 GMT 17:20 UK
Exam plan to trace bullying victims

Growing concern over bullying issue

Examiners marking English papers containing a question on bullying have been
asked to report any evidence of schoolchildren who may be at risk.
The Council for Curriculum Examination and Assessment (CCEA) has made the
request as a result of growing public concern after a 14-year-old bullying
victim took her life earlier this year.

Denise Bailie from Highfield estate in north Belfast committed suicide in
April.

A question on the Key Stage 3 English paper which is taken by 14-year-olds
suggests bullying as a topic for a newspaper article.

The CCEA has written to all markers asking them to report any individual
stories which might indicate a child is at risk.

Children's names are not on the scripts. But children can be traced using a
reference number and a school number.

The markers have also been asked to spot if there appears to be a pattern of
bullying from a number of pupils at the same school.

The exam papers are to be returned and may be passed on to the school to deal
with the problem.

Bullying study

The CCEA said Denise Bailie's death had highlighted the need for some action
on the issue.

The move coincides with the launch in Belfast of a Childline service by TV
presenter Esther Rantzen.

In April, the then education minister, George Howarth, initiated a study to
investigate the causes of bullying in Northern Ireland schools.

The Childline number is 0800 1111.

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