d Tuesday.
Exposing The Mystery of
Standardized Test-Question Writers - For those stressing about upcoming
MCAS tests, here's a tip from some inside sources: The first questions will be
easy, and if an answer seems right, it probably is. That's because test makers
aren't evil trolls plotting student failure, but normal people who know how
For people who are concerned about
standardized testing in general, not just as pertains to kids with
IEPs, the FairTest website might be of interest:
http://www.fairtest.org/. If you go to that site and
click on "assessment reform network" (ARN) you will link to a page
that allows you to join a listserv devoted to many of the issues
being raised in this thread. However, I do want to warn
folks that this group as a whole is not very interested in
disability/special education issues -- the focus is on other
diversity issues like race and social class, but also on the ways
tests are being used and what they are doing to classroom
practice. You may have seen an ARN t-shirt here or
there -- they're nice, if esoteric: black with a picture of a
tomato plant and the words "High stakes are for tomatoes".
Seeking Alternatives to Standardized Testing - Is there some
other way to make low-income neighborhood schools better than through
the annual standardized testing required by the new federal No Child
Left Behind law? In 1974 Deborah Meier created the Central Park East
School in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City. That school
showed, through its students' success in college and the workplace,
that the children of day laborers, garment workers and welfare
recipients could achieve academic success by being treated in public
school as if they were graduate students. Instead of being given
regular standardized multiple-choice tests, they were evaluated
through reviews of their written work and interviews with experts in
the subject matter they had studied.
Tools Help Individualized Educational Program (IEP) Teams Decide Which
Assessments to Use for Students with Disabilities - The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that all
students with disabilities be assessed at the state level. In
addition, the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) calls for a
single statewide accountability system that includes students with
disabilities. If the state’s general assessment is not appropriate,
even with assessment accommodations, the individualized educational
program (IEP) team must determine how the student will be assessed.
This FOCUS on Results document highlights new tools available from the
Michigan Department of Education to help IEP teams choose which state
assessment is most appropriate for a student with a disability.