Comments on: Starting next spring, CA standardized test results to come back in days

By: Katy Murphy

Katy Murphy — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:04:25 +0000

Speaking of standardized tests and technology, here’s a link to a webinar on computer adaptive testing. It’s from the Olympia, Wash.-based Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which was awarded a federal grant to develop tests for the new common core content standards.

http://www.smarterbalanced.org/events/computer-adaptive-testing-presentation/

By: Nextset

Nextset — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:12:19 +0000

The fact that the (verbal/math etc) tests are used to evaluate progress and mastery of subjects doesn’t change the nature of them as IQ tests.

Time pressure testing is a measure of brain processing speed. When you are testing a cohort who have had similar classroom exposure the (basic testing) results will line up on the IQ distribution.

I have problems with the notion that a teacher is to be punished because the chillun in her particular classroom do so much worse that say the kiddies over at Piedmont Unified who are otherwise claimed to be similar – similar age and similar classes.

I support the testing. I really support that the children and their families are to be confronted with the data of how their child scores, ranks in his school, and ranks against his age group generally in the city, county, state or nationally. Realism is to be encouraged.

However there are real limits as to how much we are to browbeat people over how they score. We also need to get them to understand what these scores mean for vocational aptitude.

You are not going to be a Dr or Lawyer when your scoring stays below certain levels. Improve the scoring or change your talk of what you are going to do for a living. Likewise college aspirations. By 11th grade or before, the kiddies need to be quite aware of the basic scoring of the freshman class of their target schools – knowing where they fit in and where they do not fit in. You can go for a reach, just understand what you are doing.

Reality is to be encouraged. It is dangerously missing in the chillun I see. They are trained to avoid it by their black churches and their families. The successful candidates are the realists who do prepare themselves to get what they want.

By: Cranky Teacher

Cranky Teacher — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:45:32 +0000

The bigger deal is the switch to Common Core standards — most teachers feel they are better (deeper, skills based, thinking based) than the current state standards.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:21:24 +0000

I like that the test results will come out sooner. I think it will help reduce the grade inflation that I see – particularly at the middle school level. A student cannot earn an A or a B, thus be on the honor roll when they have the results that show the student working at below basic as is the case with out neighbor. She had a 3.75 GPA from Edna Brewer and tested far below basic in science, and below basic in math and English.

She went on to high school and found out that the test results were an accurate picture of her skill level and work habits than the extremely over-inflated grades.

Because she went to a charter school she had two hours of free tutoring after school with a credentialed teacher. It has taken her six weeks of summer school and nearly six months of the school year to catch up to the knowledge and experience she should have had at the end of eighth grade. I sincerely hope the test scores are factored in to grade as it will help everyone in contact with the student have an accurate picture rather than an inflated one.

By: AC Mom

AC Mom — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:38:21 +0000

Speaking as a parent, I appreciate getting this data much sooner. If my child needed help in a certain area, I would use the time over the summer to bring him up to speed for the next school year. I understand the concerns expressed by teachers, but I have always been frustrated by the amount of time that it takes to get this information. When I was a child back in the 80′s, I was tested 3 x a year and the results were received within a month…I still remember the old dot matrix print outs.

BTW, good point Livegreen!

By: jmc

jmc — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:46:58 +0000

well said Yet Another Oakland Teacher!

By: Yet another Oakland teacher

Yet another Oakland teacher — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Maybe, just maybe, the state will move the testing window to the end of the school year so we actually have the whole school year to help the kids master the standards, rather than signalling the end of the school year the first week of May. Our current window cuts off 20-25 days of instruction that are left after testing, before the end of school.

By: Nextset

Nextset — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:51:14 +0000

Information is power. But understand, these test evaluate the students and not the teachers.

They are proxies for IQ tests.

By: makeitgoaway

makeitgoaway — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:17:23 +0000

With the turnaround in days, CST results can become part of an assessment, and can be used as part of a student’s grade, thus making this a high stakes test for the students, not just for the teachers and administrators. In addition, it can be used for placement purposes in programming classes for the coming year. Don’t tank the CSTs if you want an Honors or AP class. Watch test scores go up from atudents who now know that it matters. Please don’t tell me all students try their best because they don’t.

By: Livegreen

Livegreen — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:10:32 +0000

Yeah but since OUSD will only update the school SARCs on their website about 7 months after, many parents won’t know where to find the updated scores anyway. You know, so they can actually use them.

Troy, Katy or anybody: is there a good reason OUSD still features the API and SARCs from two school years ago? Did the pie chart maker leave? Or does he only work on the Strategic Plan now?