After reading Chapter 1 in the Introduction To Teaching book and viewing The Test on the included text DVD respond to the following questions:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of high-stakes testing?
2. What types of students are most adversely affected by high-stakes testing?
3. What can schools do to minimize the negative effects of high-stakes testing?
4. What are your experiences with high stakes testing such as ISTEP, Praxis, SAT's etc.?
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I believe that there are both advantages and disadvantages of high stakes testing. some of the advantages are the fact that it places a standard of knowledge that a child should be thought. It shows what they should be learning on a day-to-day basis. Some disadvantages are that some children are simply not good test takers. I know that I for one am not a GREAT test taker, just average. I can study all day and night and when I get to the test, I freeze up. I am a better hands on student than taking a test. Also, some children may be better at multiple choice than at essay style. Each child may better learn in different ways. Unfortunately, high stake testing has been the way of edcation for so many years, and I don't see that changing. On another note, I do think that it would make a difference to offer the testing more than once to give students the opportunity to improve their test scores. This may minimize the negative effect on children so that they can also have the opportunity to advance to the next level with the other students.
ReplyDeleteI never had a problem personally with taking tests such as the ISTEP but I know that it would've been devistating for me if I had not passed. It was important for me to carry on in school with my friends.
1. High-stakes testing in my opinion is a good way to make sure that teachers are meeting the set standards but because of that they become overwhelmed and rush through their lessons. They then become to worried about helping their students pass the test. As teachers become familiar with the test questions, they spend the majority of their time teaching their students the test, as said in the video. That would then make test scores rise,inflating score results that no longer reflect learning or
ReplyDeleteunderstanding. I am also against high-stakes testing because that means that a child's grades in school don't even matter. They may ask why they should put out the effort in their school work if all they need to worry about is the final test. One more complaint that I have on the test is that not all children, all people in fact, are good test takers. Many can answer a question in class but when it comes to the test they freeze. I just don't think it is a good way to access their knowledge and understanding of a topic.
2. The video portrayed communities that have an overabundance of children and ones that are living in poverty as being the most adversely affected by high-stakes testing. If they do not have the technology and their staff does not have the correct training, then they will not be as well equipped for the test.
3. I am having a hard time answering this question. I suppose they can better prepare their children to answer the questions on the high-stakes tests. They could do this by sending home homework over the summer for those that are falling behind. If a child is behind in first and second, then they are probably going to get held back in third, as said in the video.
4. From a personal standpoint, I don't believe that these tests can assess one's understanding and knowledge. They simply assess memorization. For instance, if you can remember certain formulas for math or are able to do trig, then you will be able to pass. I believe that tests should be based on real life questions instead of questions that were once taught and were forgotton after they were not applied anymore. It is very hard to test one's knowledge. Everyone focuses more on their own common interests.
1. An advantage of high-stakes testing is that it shows the the strengths and weaknesses of the education a student is getting. It shows that the teachers are meeting or not meeting standards. It allows the school to see where they need to improve and how to better the education of their students. The disadvantage is that it doesn't reflect upon the student's education. They may not be able to take tests well or become overwhelmed and not perform well on the test. There may be lessons that weren't covered for very long and escaped a students memory since it was briefly covered.
ReplyDelete2. The schools that are adversely affected are the low-income school systems. They cannot be compared to a private school that has no financial problems and state-of-the-art technology. That's just not fair! A school system that has little to no technology or any "smart classrooms" will be at a disadvantage when it come to a high-stakes test.
3. This question is tricky and I'm having a hard time finding a realistic answer. However, if it is possible, I would incorporate the testing into the curriculum. Rather than being bombarded by a test that covers everything you learned in a long time span. I would break up the high-stakes test into lessons. I would teach the lesson, allow the students to do assignments and practice, then they would take the high-stakes test. Once they completed that we would move on to the next section of the test, learn and then test the students. I don't know if this would work, but I think it would better represent the student. Maybe this isn't possible but it sounds like a good idea to me!
4. I to was a "victim" of the high-stakes tests. In 6th grade I just barely failed the ISTEP. I was devastated and I felt like a failure. This is a terrible feeling for a 6th grader to go through. I then had to undergo remediation. The next time I had to take the ISTEP I was extremely nervous, and overwhelmed. I did not want to fail again! SATs were the same way again. I never had anything below a C on my high school transcript and the results of my SATs did not portray this at all. That's why I believe it's important for colleges to look at transcripts more than SAT scores.
1. I think there are several advantages and disadvantages of high stakes testing. One of the biggest advantages that I see is that it can serve as a tool of motivation for a student. I know from personal experience that I always want to achieve a high score on a test, so I study twice as hard as I would for a quiz, etc. Another benefit is that there is a cut and dry line of where the academic achievement line is at. Students know what it is that the have to reach in order to pass a grade level or obtain their diploma.
ReplyDeleteA few disadvantages to high stakes testing is that some students tend to buckle under the pressures of taking a test, and it can ultimately affect their testing performance. An "A" student can create quality papers, but fail miserably on a test. Also, some schools focus so much on maintaining their high scores that have been achieved by the students the year before, so they can possibly take away from the learning aspects.
2. The types of students that are most affected by high-stakes testing are the students that struggle with test taking anxieties, or students that have some sort of learning set back in their life. This can include a disability of some sort, as well as a struggle in their home life.
3. After thinking about this question for awhile, I decided that schools can minimize the negative effects of high-stakes testing by making sure the teachers spend quality class time focusing on the content that will soon be covered over that test. Also, I think that if there are students who struggle with testing anxiety, they should be allowed to take the tests in a separate room from their classmates. By creating a more peaceful environment for the students to test in, it might ease their worries and help them focus on the information in front of them.
4. Personally, I have struggled with high-stakes testing my whole life. I tend to know the content really well, and then as soon as that test is placed in front of me, I go blank. Because of this, my score on my SAT's were not where I would have liked them to be, and I had to take the Reading part of the PRAXIS test twice. I often felt like high-stakes tests narrow answers down to two possible ones, with only a slight difference between the two. From there, I have a 50/50 chance at getting it right, and I usually always pick the wrong one. If they would make the tests more fairly and not come off as tricky, students will probably benefit off of them more so that getting frustrated with them.
1. There are both advantages and disadvantages of high stakes testing. Some of the advantages are allowing students to discover how much they have learned through their years of schooling and what things they might need to focus on more. One disadvantage can be for those students who always do poorly on tests. A hard working and very intelligent student can recieve A's in all of his or hers classes, but sometimes stress and anxiety can cause them to do poorly on a test. In my opinion, these high stakes tests, are not a fair way to determine the intelligence of a person.
ReplyDelete2.The video showed that students who are most adversely affected by high stakes testing are those who attend school systems with low income. With the lack of money and technology needed to help the children learn, it would not be fair to expect these children to do as well on the high stakes testing as a child from a school system that was more fortunate.
3. Perhaps the school could spend a week or two before the tests to prepare the students. Teachers could go over and cover things that would be on the tests to help refresh the material that might have been learned years ago. Another way could be to allow longer breaks. I know that after I have been testing for an hour or two, my brain is fired, I am stressed and I do not feel like continuing. If the school allowed the students to take the first part of the test and then allow an hour break or so rather than a five minute restroom break, maybe it would help the students to relax, calm down and make them better prepared to continue.
4.I have experienced some troubles with high stake testing. However, I did very well on the ISTEP when I was younger and never had a problem with passing. I did not have problems with high stakes testing until the SAT's. Tests that are so important like these make you stressed and unrelaxed. You want so bad to do well that sometimes it results in you doing poorly. Also sometimes personal problems can lead to someone doing poorly on a test, it can make your mind focus on something it shouldnt. I know it is silly, but I was dumped by my boyfriend the night before SAT's and had troubles concentrating on the test the next day. Examples such as these are some of the reasons why I do not think high stakes testing is fair.
1. Advantages that I directly see are directly related to why the test is given, scoring each child’s progress and ability to retain information. Although the disadvantages include the way children learn are often different and they often retain different parts of each lesson. So, testing all of the students with the same test in the same manner does not project what their actual grades would be or even how they perform in school or later in live at a job.
ReplyDelete2. At first glance I would think that more disadvantaged children would be affected due to their lack of resources and support from family, because most often their parents not having substantial education. True they would be at risk, but looking further I have found that many middle and upper class children are also at risk to be nervous about testing, because they have a great amount of pressure to be “perfect”. Often parents and teachers expecting more has a positive effect, but so many children are doing poor on testing when they have the knowledge and are so afraid to fail that they often question their initial answer….. Most time taking to long on a question can be devastating to the overall test.
3. What I have seen recently is that they are sending home practice tests and also going over them in class. My daughter’s school also has volunteers who will go over the practice test after school with students who sign up for extra help. I think with the students seeing a test that is similar gives them a since of what is a head and makes the test not seem so “scary”. They also get parents to bring in snacks to break up the days of testing.
4. Personally, I have been known to get all outstanding grades on class work and papers and fail testing. With me being older, I do not remember taking to many standardized tests in my earlier years of school and good for me that they did not hold me back because of my test taking abilities.
1. A few of the advantages of high-stake testing is to be able to see how much a student is comprehending in class, It also shows how if a teacher is meeting all of the required standards in a class, if the majority of students in one class don't do well on a certain section this could be because of something wrong that the teacher is doing and not be because of their comprehension skills. A huge disadvantage to these heavy-weighted tests is that some students are just simply not good test takers. A lot of students no matter how much they study or prepare for a certain test let their nerves get to them at the time of the test and completely freak out and lose track of all of the information that they really do know.
ReplyDelete2. In the video it shows that the students that are mostly affected by the high-stake testing usually come from a low-income family or area. Students that do not have access to certain technologies are at a disadvantage to other students who may computers and such in their classroom and at their homes.
3. Some things that school's can do to minimize the stress that comes with high-stake testing can be to thoroughly go over the information that is going to be on the test the whole week before the test begins to get the students to become more familiar and comfortable with the information. During the testing period I think it will also help to give the students a few more breaks so their brains don't get so overwhelmed with all the information they are processing and let them have a chance to socialize and relieve some stress.
4. My experience with high-stake testing were pretty laid-back. I usually don't let things get to me and get me stressed out. I don't believe that I ever once studied for ISTEP, SAT'S, or Praxis. I don't like to get overwhelmed by stuff, so I usually just wing it and thankfully it has always turned out okay so far.
1. An advantage of high-stakes testing is that it assesses which state standards students can successfully accomplish. Teachers can see where the students are and adjust their instruction accordingly. It can give schools an idea of where more funds are needed; for example, if many elementary students are behind in math, they can focus funds on new resources, professional development, or tutors for the schools. High-stakes testing also may be a motivating factor for some students. Some students (and families) who put high value on grades and success in school will likely be motivated to learn the knowledge and skills needed to pass the test. A disadvantage is that students may see it as an all-or-nothing test and if they don't do well, they are bad students. Teachers may be tempted to just "teach to the test" to make sure their students do well. Another disadvantage is that tests can be biased against minority students, ELL students and students of low socio-economic status, because of the language used in the questions and also the subjects of some of the questions.
ReplyDelete2. Students who are most adversely affected by high-stakes testing are minority students, ELL students and students of low socio-economic status. Other students who are adversely affected are those who have test anxiety or who have poor test-taking skills.
3. Schools can assure students that the outcome of the test does not reflect whether they are a "good" or "bad" student. Teachers can teach test-taking skills if their students need instruction. It's important for teachers to teach thinking skills and problem solving skills along with their curriculum, so that no matter what kinds of questions students come across, they will be more prepared to take steps to solve those problems.
4. I've always done very well on standardized tests. ISTEP was a big joke for me, and I felt like it was a big waste of my day, and paper. I took the PSAT because they invited all the honor students to take it, which was also a big waste of time, in a cold room very early on a Saturday morning. The SAT turned out to be even easier. PRAXIS I was like all the others. When I got to PRAXIS II, I actually felt nervous about it. I bought a book to prepare, and I passed the first part just fine (I only missed a few points). I'm still waiting on the results for the Reading Specialist part, but I'm sure I did fine. That was the one I was most worried about (and I never worry about those tests), but I just did my best. I didn't know some of them, but it didn't worry me; I either knew the answer, could guess at the best one, or didn't know it at all.
I think that there are both advantages and disadvantages of high-stakes testing. The advantage is we can see where the students are good in and what they are having trouble in. Being able to focus on what is needed the most. A disadvantage is some students are really smart, but they are not good test takers. For me I understood my work but when it came to taking a test I always froze and ended up bombing the test even if I new it.I think that the students that are the most affected are minority and I agree with becky, because alot of them have a language barrier that prevents them from learning. I think when schools focus to much on these test they just teach the students whats on the test not how to really understand it. Its kind of hard to answer. I personally dont like them because there are alot of smart kinds that get really nervous when they take tests. I know I did.
ReplyDelete1. The advantages of high stakes testing are accountability. It seems as if the school systems as a whole have to work harder to reach this goal and collaborate for the education of their students. It seems that these tests can help teachers to determine the subjects that need adjustments or extra time. It also seems that these tests help the students to be better prepared for their future. The disadvantages are that the children that don't pass can not advance and one test does not seem like it can be a true indicator of the knowledge learned by a student. Also, the discouraging feeling for students that don't do well is not positive. If too much focus is placed on the tests, then is seems as if that would become the main focus of the classroom. That does not seem like it would be beneficial for students or faculty.
ReplyDelete2. It seemed to be minority students and students from low socioeconomic levels that were most adversely affected. The students in poor areas have less resources available to them and so it affects them more.
3. If schools offer students study sessions, and the ability to take the tests more than once if needed, it seems like that would help to alleviate the pressure. By offering support in study groups and sample tests, the students have more opportunity for success with the tests. Also, some incentive like extra recess time after taking the test might help with getting out the extra tension and energy.
4. My experiences with testing has been mostly positive. I just try to do the best that I can, not rush through.When taking ISTEP tests, I remember feeling some anxiety because that was my first experience with that sort of test. Just like timed tests, you learn to pace yourself and get through. The SATs were challenging because of the length of the test. I have done fine overall on testing of this kind, but I know it can be especially difficult for young students.
1)The advantage of high stakes testing is that you can see how the child is doing and where their strengths and weaknesses are. It also is good so that the school system can see where funds are needed. A disadvantage is that children that don't pass can not advance in school. There are many students who do not take tests well but are smart. I still have this problem. I study hard and good but when I receive the test I freeze up and forget. Shortly after the test I think to myself, “How stupid are you to forget that?”
ReplyDelete2)students that are mostly affected by the high-stake testing usually come from a low-income family or area. Students that do not have access to certain technologies are at a disadvantage to other students who may computers and such in their classroom and at their homes.
3) to minimize stress on the students teachers need to base lessons based on what is on the test. If this is going to pass or fail the child they need to have a clear understanding of the material. It's important for teachers to teach thinking skills and problem solving skills.
4) I've always done very well on standardized tests .Tests that are so important like the ones that make or break your grade make you stressed and unrelaxed. You want to do so good that it sometimes results in you doing poorly. I usually don't let things get to me and get me stressed out. I go in with a positive attitude and I either do well or not so well.