Testing Archives - Entelechy

January 20, 2018

Pass or Fail: How Did We Get to This Assessment Place?

In this multi-part series, I provide a dissection of the phenomenon of retention and social promotion. Also, I describe the many different methods that would improve student instruction in classrooms and eliminate the need for retention and social promotion if combined effectively. While reading this series, periodically ask yourself this question: Why are educators, parents and the American public complicit in a practice that does demonstrable harm to children and the competitive future of the country? When it comes to assessing what students have learned, there is a mixed review from educators. A few view the current way we assess students as on point, …

Continue reading “Pass or Fail: How Did We Get to This Assessment Place?”

October 18, 2017

Attribution Errors in America’s Classrooms

Cause and effect aren’t always clearly and correctly paired in America’s classrooms. Teachers don’t always have the time, energy, or awareness to properly attribute underperformance. Is a disengaged student sleeping at his or her desk being lazy or suffering from lack of sleep? Is disruptive behavior the reflection of student boredom or a cover for not understanding the material? Is a sudden drop in academic performance really indicative of intelligence or simply a need for reading glasses? Are poor test scores more a reflection on the teacher’s failings or a lack of support and encouragement for students at home? Fundamental …

Continue reading “Attribution Errors in America’s Classrooms”

September 19, 2016

Test prep should be real education

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.** Guest post by Chris Ryan Before I took the SAT 30 years ago, I told my friend Rob to “Never guess C.” Knowing I had done well on the PSAT, he trusted me. Afterwards, Rob asked me what I thought of the exam. “I saw a lot of C’s,” I said. Poor Rob. “Never guess …

Continue reading “Test prep should be real education”

June 10, 2016

Important Ways Assessment in the Classroom Impacts Testing and Curriculum

Assessment has become a central part of education. While lifelong learning should always be the main focus of a classroom, the pervasive knowledge that at some point, there will be testing, from the local scale to the national, has also become a backdrop in curriculum development. Standardized testing has long been part of the K–12 scene, but since the enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001, student results have been used by the federal and state governments to determine the level of funding schools receive. The salaries and job security of teachers and administrators are also determined, at …

Continue reading “Important Ways Assessment in the Classroom Impacts Testing and Curriculum”

April 21, 2016

Learning vs. Testing: Can Tech Bridge the Gap?

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.** A guest column by Edgar Wilson Somewhere over the last few decades, teaching and testing developed an adversarial relationship in America’s classrooms. Public policy debates swarm like bees over sticky questions on the issue of assessment: How much is too much? How can we evaluate teachers without standardized measures of outcomes? Are students under too much …

Continue reading “Learning vs. Testing: Can Tech Bridge the Gap?”

March 19, 2016

Should we grade teachers on student performance?

Should teachers be judged on student performance? Is it a fair assessment of their skills as educators? A recent study published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis is the latest in a number of forms of research that cast doubt on whether it is feasible for states to evaluate teachers based partially on student test scores. Research shows us that little to no correlation between high quality teaching and the appraisals these teachers are given. We have seen a sharp rise in the number of states that have turned to teacher-evaluation systems based on student test scores. The rapid implementation …

Continue reading “Should we grade teachers on student performance?”

February 18, 2016

The Future of K-12 Assessment

Many educators view standardized testing as a necessary evil of the improvement process. More cynical educators view it as a completely useless process that is never a true indicator of what students actually know. Proponents of K-12 assessments say that without them, there is no adequate way to enforce educator accountability. Love it or hate it, K-12 standardized testing is not going away. It is just changing. The No Child Left Behind Act uses standardized testing results to determine progress and outline areas for improvement in K-12 schools. This standards-based approach to education reform has often been attacked for its …

Continue reading “The Future of K-12 Assessment”

February 1, 2016

Eliminating tests through continual assessment

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.** A guest post by Leslie Tyler “Common Core was such a good idea,” remarked a middle school administrator I recently spoke with. “But then the testing ruined it.” Educators have been working on the transition to the new Common Core State Standards over the past 4-5 years. But last year’s final implementation step – administering …

Continue reading “Eliminating tests through continual assessment”

January 18, 2016

Education officials to re-examine standardized testing

Education officials will re-examine standardized testing in the U.S. due to growing complaints from the public. The general consensus is that students pre-kindergarten to 12th grade are taking too many exams. Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools recently said, “Testing is an important part of education, and of life. But it’s time that we step back and see if the tail is wagging the dog.” The Council of Great city schools represents 67 urban school systems. The Council of Chief State School Officers, which represents education commissioners in every state, has also joined in on the effort. …

Continue reading “Education officials to re-examine standardized testing”