Participate in a study on how students feel about testing

[Joe Navarro <jlnhca@yahoo.com>]

Please read  the information below about a study on how students feel about testing.  If you are an upper-grade teacher and are interested in learning more about this study, please contact Joan C. Fingon at the following email address:  jfingon@sbcglobal.net 
  --Joe Navarro
   
  Hi Joe:
  I just discovered your poem about testing in The California Reader and was glad that there is someone else who thinks we are testing kids too much. 
  Nice work.
  I am currently designing an assessment tool using thought bubbles for determining how young kids (1- 6 grades) feel about taking tests. 
  Are you interested in piloting it with your first graders and giving feedback?
  Let me know.
   
  Joan C. Fingon
  Associate Professor of Education
  CSULA
   
  HI Joe:
  Thanks for your prompt reply and your interest. 
  With so much emphasis on testing (based on NCLB) teachers don't have enough data on how testing impacts their student's feelings about testing short or long term.
   
  My expertise is literacy and reading assessment. I also teach a graduate research seminar class for students in various graduate programs. 
   
  You can learn more about thought-bubbles based on an article by Debbie Zambo (p. 798-803) from The Reading Teacher May, 2006 issue. That will help you understand the overall concept and examples and scoring are included in the article. You can look at this journal online if you are an IRA member or perhaps look in your school library.
  I contacted Debbie and she is currently working on a testing tool for math.
   
  My pilot study uses different sketches (I had a male teacher create more reflective and current generic representations of a boy and girl from diverse student populations). I created a different set of statements for children to answer about how they feel about tests overall. The idea is to provide teachers with information about how children feel about what kinds of tests they take especially standardized tests. They can draw or write or provide phrases to exemplify what they know.  
   
  Right now, I am looking to see if the children can read the statements (ate they worded correctly or need to be rephrased, etc ) to get best results. It might or might not be scored similarly.  I would be interested in your grade level and I am asking my daughter i teh 6th grade to try it in her class. I need a range so that I create the best possible survey.
   
  It would be great to have your students and your input to prepare the final assessment tool. I like to have the teacher observing and taking anecdotal notation while the children take the test for further input. (time it takes for students to complete the task, too long, too confusing, directions aren't clear, etc..)
   
  These are more ideas but we could do a pre and post with it with your class as well if you want to try some intervention.   
   
  I am not sure you would need permission from your principal or parents that is really your call based on your school policies. This initial data would not be shared or published, but could be in the future or mentioned in the final product/study but the name of the school wouldn't be mentioned. 
  I am not sure if you are tenured or if that matters in your school district. 
  
FYI- I will have an article about test taking published in the California Reader in Fall or the Winter issue. 
  Let me know if any of this sounds promising and your willingness to take part in this endeavor. I would appreciate it.
  Joan
   
  I have decided ( my colleagues were a big help) to focus more on upper elementary grades for my assessment tool since most kids don't begin standardized tests until 2nd grade and probably don't have any real sense of the tests until 4-6 grades.
   
   


________________________________________________ 
  Joe Navarro, Literary Vato Loco, creative writer, poet and teacher.
  Available for workshops and presentations.
  Please visit my new website and help me out by forwarding it. Updated regularly. http://www.geocities.com/poetajoe/Joe_Navarro.html

 		
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