Comments on: Are new online standardized tests revolutionary? Decide for yourself.

By: The Best Resources For Learning About The “Next Generation” Of State Testing | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:00:31 +0000

[...] Are new online standardized tests revolutionary? Decide for yourself is from The HechingerEd blog. [...]

By: Updates On Common Core Resources & On The “Next Generation” Of Tests | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 05:14:33 +0000

[...] Are new online standardized tests revolutionary? Decide for yourself is from The HechingerEd blog. [...]

By: Miller Community List - Community News for Miller, Indiana

Miller Community List - Community News for Miller, Indiana — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 18:59:42 +0000

[...] Same old song? The designers of new high-tech standardized tests that a majority of states plan to adopt in two years have offered an advance look at sample questions, writes Sarah Garland in The Hechinger Report. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has posted an English/Language arts question and a math question, and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) has posted a sample question from its third grade assessment and a sample math question from its high school assessment. It has also been revealed that in some questions, which test designers call “computer enhanced,” students will be asked to drag words or numbers across the screen, or highlight phrases or sentences in a reading passage. Many questions will continue to be multiple-choice, however, since multiple-choice tests are cheaper to design and score, and answer sheets can be run through a computer. Questions and tests that require writing and research are more expensive and likely require a trained evaluator for scoring, and one of the biggest concerns about the new tests has been how to finance them. The two coalitions designing the tests won federal grants to launch the process, but this funding won’t cover ongoing expenses related to the tests, such as paying people to score answer sheets and the cost of new computers and expanded bandwidth. Read more: http://hechingered.org/content/are-new-online-standardized-tests-revolutionary-decide-for-yourself_5… [...]

By: Daily News Clips- 10/12/12 | Rodel Foundation of Delaware

Daily News Clips- 10/12/12 | Rodel Foundation of Delaware — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:11:54 +0000

[...] Report Are new online standardized tests revolutionary? New high-tech tests for the Common Core standards are being developed, but will these exams [...]

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:06:59 +0000

Also on the swimmers question, has anyone taking into consideration the additional 23 seconds that would be required to answer this question due to the animation? The animation seems more an embellishment than informative, clarifying, or necessary AND requires 23 seconds before the information required to respond to the question is displayed. Doesn’t sound like much, but if there are 50 items, adding 23 seconds to each one would mean the student would need an additional 19 minutes to complete the test.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:50:10 +0000

There was an error in the rubric for the math question about swimmers. Example says 3 would be tied for 1st place. Actually 2 would tie for 1st and 3 would tie for second. oops!

I hope no student’s future is destroyed by that one.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:35:47 +0000

Chicago Public Schools has already mandated this type of online testing for all kids, even kindergartners. Follow the link for one kindergartner teacher’s experience. The children are upset, crying, embarrassed and ashamed at not knowing how to complete the test.

A simpleton would have known this is not developmentally appropriate. Why not ed reformers?

And, so what if Barbara Kipinius once coughed out press releases for a congressman under a deadline.

Does she really think that her work experience should be designed into a standardized test? What are her education credentials that permit her to make that claim? REad what is really happening in the classroom and why the teacher evaluations will not be based on good data. It is a sham.

http://dianeravitch.net/2012/10/11/this-is-crazy-testing-in-kindergarten-for-what/

By: Is Common Core about to Melt Down?

Is Common Core about to Melt Down? — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:30:49 +0000

[...] couple of days ago the HechingerEd blog—from the education-centric Hechinger Report—published a post looking at preliminary testing items from the two consortia hand-picked by the Obama administration [...]

By: Is The Common Core Debate About to Go Nuclear? | Truth in American Education

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:17:28 +0000

By: Think Tank West » Is Common Core about to Melt Down?

Think Tank West » Is Common Core about to Melt Down? — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:21:36 +0000