I am wondering about the way tests are developed in other countries. I am really thinking about the way Sweden, Finland, UK, etc...develop their tests. It makes sense that tests, the Rich Tasks, are developed by educators and scored by educators. It would be nice for the U.S. to look into taking the time to train test assessors and develop meaningful tasks to assess student learning rather than the bubbled, machine scored assessments that come around once a year and increase stress levels of district administrators across the United States.
I think that sometimes officials look for the most efficient way of doing things and don't always consider the value of digging deeper. If time is so valued, and that is the reason that we continue with multiple choice standardized tests instead of tasks that cultivate independence and active learning, than why do we waste time preparing students for these tests that teachers and students have little or no connection with other than that they are used to "ensure equitable education"?
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You bring up some interesting points. Not only do we waste time preparing and giving some of these tests, we rarely use them to guide instruction. Perhaps their "costly" nature will drive them out of our schools and teachers will be given back the task.
ReplyDeleteIronically, we know that most standardized tests do not give us what we need to know about students' learning. Does that mean that those tests will go away? Not in a million years...but it means that we must use measures that really tell us what makes a difference. And we know what they are.
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