Re: more testing fun (HELP!)

[Judi Hirsch <judih@OUSD.K12.CA.US>]

how about other groups? like professional groups, civic groups, parents,
students, whatever,..I'd try them all. I think local support would be great
if you could get it--perhaps I missed it--where are you from?
Judi
----- Original Message -----
From: Glenn <glenn@PEEDEEWORLD.NET>
To: <ARN-L@LISTS.CUA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2000 6:36 PM
Subject: Re: more testing fun (HELP!)


> I wish I had a union. But the NCAE will help, I think.
>
> Teresa
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Judi Hirsch <judih@OUSD.K12.CA.US>
> To: <ARN-L@listsrva.CUA.EDU>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 9:21 PM
> Subject: Re: more testing fun (HELP!)
>
>
> > sounds like it's time to talk to your union's legal team!
> > Judi
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Glenn <glenn@PEEDEEWORLD.NET>
> > To: <ARN-L@LISTS.CUA.EDU>
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 2:46 PM
> > Subject: more testing fun (HELP!)
> >
> >
> > > I got called into my principal's office this afternoon.  I was told I
> may
> > be
> > > fired because I paraphrased two test questions that were flawed on
> another
> > > listserv.  (The person who objected to that posting also forward
several
> > > other anti-testing postings I made... hmmm.... maybe it's not THAT
> posting
> > > at all??)  I'm waiting tonight to hear whether or not I have a job--
> it's
> > up
> > > to DPI now.
> > >
> > > Below is what I posted, with the offensive parts XXX'd out.
> > >
> > > Whatever happened to truth, justice, fairness, and freedom of
speech???
> I
> > > guess we can't test for THOSE on a multiple choice test.
> > >
> > > Teresa Glenn
> > > ------
> > >
> > >
> > > > ( By they way, the 8th grade teachers told me of the number of
> mistakes
> > on
> > > > their EOGS that had to be addressed before the EOGs were
administered.
> > > How
> > > > would the powers that be feel if teachers made "mistakes" in
preparing
> > > > students for the test or in administering those tests?)
> > >
> > >
> > > There were other mistakes that were not corrected-- and I'm not sure
> > they'll
> > > ever be addressed.
> > >
> > > One reading selection dealt  with XXXXX.  One of the
> > > accompanying questions asked which country we fought at XXXX.  The
word
> > > XXXXX (the country being fought) appeared nowhere in the text the
> students
> > > read.  Unless they just possessed this knowledge, there was NO WAY for
a
> > > student to answer this
> > > question.  (A reminder: 8th grade SS is NC History-- in my
> state-approved
> > > textbook, the words "XXXX [the battle site]" appear nowhere.  So if I
> > teach
> > > the Standard
> > > Course of Study, there's no way for the kids to answer this question
> > > correctly.  Should I not be teaching the SCS?  Should the kids be
doing
> US
> > > History in addition to NC history?  Can someone at DPI address these
> > > questions?)
> > >
> > > Also, there was another section that looked at [XXXXX.  The students
had
> > to
> > > figure out XXXXXXX.  (The XXXX, BTW, were things like
> > > $3.12-- not round numbers.)  This required setting up a math problem &
> > > solving it.  Granted, the math isn't that difficult-- but it IS
math...
> on
> > > the reading EOG.
> > >
> > > I wonder if DPI's reluctance to release tests is because they know
just
> > how
> > > horrendously bad the tests themselves are.  We retested our students
> with
> > a
> > > released test and I took it with them.  On five questions I couldn't
be
> > sure
> > > of the answer.  Three questions required knowledge outside the reading
> > > passage (like the XXXXX question I described above).  Another 5 were
so
> > > poorly worded that I had no idea what the question was asking.  In
> short,
> > 18
> > > of the 65 questions were themselves questionable (that's 28%-- almost
a
> > > THIRD of the test!).
> > >
> > > (In case you're wondering about whether or not I'm a dummy who
couldn't
> > > answer the test questions in the first place: I attended the School of
> > > Science and Math, UNC-CH, was a Teaching Fellow and a National Merit
> > > Scholar.  I know standardized tests, I've taken plenty, and this was
one
> > of
> > > the worst in terms of just plain bad questions I've ever seen.)
> > >
> > > The other question I have is about the relative difficulty of the
> various
> > > grade levels of the test.  I teach 8th grade (I've taught 9th, 10th,
> 12th
> > > AP, and 6th AG in a magnet school).  I'm teaching 5th grade summer
> school
> > > this summer, and in looking through the 5th grade Competitive Edge EOG
> > > preparation book, I've noticed that a good number of the 5th grade
> > practice
> > > readings are IDENTICAL to the readings in my 8th grade books!  Surely
> > > reading about Oliver Cromwell isn't required in the 5th grade-- but
the
> > same
> > > passage is in both the 5th and 8th grade books...  Are the tests this
> > close
> > > in difficulty as well?
> > >
> > > It seems to me that we're holding kids accountable, schools
accountable,
> > > teachers accountable-- but no one's examining the test and holding DPI
> > > accountable for accuracy, reliability and validity.  Independant
> analyses
> > of
> > > the tests need to be run.  They need to be validated for making
> individual
> > > decisions regarding students-- something DPI has NEVER done.  (They
have
> > > only been validated for making judgments about entire schools or
school
> > > systems-- NOT individual students.)  They need to be reviewed by the
> > public.
> > > DPI needs to be held accountable too.
> > >
> > > -----------------
> > >
> > > Here's the other message that was forwarded as evidence of me
breaching
> > > testing ethics:
> > >
> > > Also, can anyone explain why a student already in the 97th percentile
> who
> > > GAINED 5 points this year fell over 21 percentile points?  Isn't 3-4
> > points
> > > gain considered "growing a grade level"?  If so, why were the tests
> > renormed
> > > so (seemingly) violently?  (This is an actual drop for one of my
> students
> > > this year.)
> > >
> > > It seems to me that the unanswered questions regarding the EOG/EOCs
far
> > > outnumber what we do know about them.  It's time that teachers,
parents
> > and
> > > the public stand up and hold DPI accountable for these tests.  I don't
> > mind
> > > being held accountable as a teacher (although I disagree that high
> stakes
> > > tests are the way to do this)-- but whatever accountability model is
> > chosen,
> > > I think it should be validated and monitored at least as carefully as
my
> > > classroom is scrutinized.  DPI needs to be held accountable.
> > >
> > > The truth of the matter is that DPI has been so secretive about the
> tests,
> > > the test questions, test question selections, criteria used,
renorming,
> > > scoring  (and every other aspect of testing that I can think of) that
> the
> > > entire testing program ought to be suspect.
> > >
> > > Teresa Glenn
> > > West Middle School
> > > Montgomery County, NC
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > >
> > > > The statewide proficiency at score point 3.0 for 10th EOC is as
> follows:
> > > > 1996 - 50.5  two years before ABC's
> > > > 1997 - 62.0  one year before ABC's
> > > > 1998 - 47.9  first year of ABC's, with all the heightened focus on
the
> > > test.
> > > > 1999 - 59.0  second year of ABC's with yet more focus and near
> hysteria
> > > > 2000 - 55.5 third year of ABC's with intense focus on writing
> > instruction.
> > > >
> > > > Conclusions? Explanations?  Any guidance we can use? Perhaps the
ABC's
> > are
> > > > bad for writing proficiency, since we were doing our best the year
> > before
> > > ABC
> > > > accountability.
> > >
> >
>
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