2015 READING TWO

How Standardized Tests Shape—and Limit –Student Learning

Article Summary:  This article looks at the negative effects on student learning through standardized testing. It says that although these tests are not in themselves high-stakes tests, they are used as such. The article focuses on the limitations, especially in ELA, that these tests embody. It is difficult to measure true ELA outcomes because this type of test mostly focuses on reading comprehension and writing as multiple choice items. The article also states that subjects such as foreign language, music, art, and social sciences are left out of these types of tests and that hey focus mostly on computational skill. These tests are also hard for teachers as they must gear their teaching toward mastery of standardized test and not other important tasks. This type of test is being  used to shape the curriculum and the types of learning that go on in the classroom and teachers are losing valuable teaching time. The end of the article does give some solutions to using these standardized tests as such a high stakes test by allowing multiple formative and summative tests and using these tests along with other tests, not just as an end-all type of assessment for teachers and students alike.

Interpretation:  I think this article gives a good glimpse of the limitations set by standardized tests for all involved. I know that in my own experience with taking tests like the SAT, GRE, PRAXIS, etc. that they are not true measures of a person’s skill. I am not a great test-taker and my test anxiety pretty much takes over as soon as I sit down in the test room. I think that the best advice given in this article is to use standardized tests ALONG WITH other types of tests. I remember that a portion of the GRE was to write an essay which would then be scored by some sort of panel of experts. I am, by no means, a great writer, but I am not a poor writer either. It is difficult, though, to be given a topic and a time limit to shape a good and effective essay without the time to revise and re-revise your text. I think writing is a process and not a product as soon as it hits the paper. A student should be allowed the time to collect their thoughts and not just vomit words onto paper in their 45-minute allotted time slot, that’s just messy no matter how you take it. It is also concerning that we are teaching toward reading comprehension and not toward a greater understanding in literacy. If teachers are to prepare students for higher education, we are doing them no favors by teaching solely to comprehension. Higher education is all about critical thinking, unpacking meaning, and every other new-fangled buzzword that relates to extracting the hidden agendas inside of a text. We want to create feeling, thinking, compassionate beings, not just tiny yes-men. I will never agree with or understand the concept of trying to fit 100 different individuals into the same-sized box. If we are all created differently, how can we be judged by an invariably standard test? Nonsense!

Course Activity TWO

Today, I interviewed “Miss Judah.” She is “mostly eight” and will be turning nine in March. She is in the third grade. The following is the interview that we conducted together this afternoon:

DO YOU LIKE TO READ? WHY/NOT?  Sometimes, because some books are more interesting than other ones.

HOW MANY BOOKS DID YOU READ LAST YEAR?  Like six.

HOW OFTEN TO YOU READ AT HOME?  I mostly read at home.

WHAT BOOKS HAVE YOU READ RECENTLY?  Lost in Las Vegas, it was really good.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN A WORD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE?  I try to sound it out, but if I still don’t know it, I ask my mom or teacher.

DO YOU LIKE TO READ OUT LOUD?  I like to read out loud in my head because there is usually a lot going on around me.

WHAT ALL DO YOU LIKE TO READ?  Books and magazines mostly.

IS READING HARD FOR YOU? Sometimes, maybe not really.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PLACE TO READ?  Yes, on my bed where there is a light that shines on it and it is the perfect place to read.

DO YOU LIKE THE LIBRARY?   Yes, the one at school.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BOOK?  Yes, Lost in Las Vegas was really good.

WOULD YOU MIND READING A FEW BOOKS FOR ME THIS SEMESTER? I would be glad to help you read.

                Judah enjoys reading and although she sometimes faces difficulties, it does not deter her. I believe she gave a great answer when she said that she “asks her mom or a teacher” when she does not understand the text. I have also spoken with Judah’s mother, a long-time friend of mine, who says that Judah is an avid reader who asks for help when she comes across something she does not understand. Although, I know we are concentrating on students who are more struggling readers, I think that this student is appropriate for the course because she is not only a willing participant, but she is willing to ask for help when she is struggling. I was also happy to hear Judah say that she has a favorite place to read and a favorite book. She commented that she likes books that are “not real” because they “take you to different places.” I am excited to share this endeavor with Judah and think this will help her strengthen those literacy skills she may be struggling with this school year. I also told Judah that I will be choosing around ten books for her and she will choose the four that she would like to read. I also told her that if they are not books that she is interested in, that we could decide on different ones that she may like better. I am looking forward to this being a remarkable partnership.

I used one of the surveys that were listed on taskstream and changed/added/adapted some of the questions to fit the needs of this interview:   http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/10/gathering-information-about-my-readers-interviewing-them

introduction

Hello! I am Shannon DeWitt. I am in my second semester of the MAT program. Previously, I've earned two degrees at FSU. I have a BA in French (2003) and a BA in English  (2011). I attended Marshall U to work on an MA in English, but was only able to complete 20 hours before I found out I was pregnant. It was a high-risk pregnancy and I decided to take a break from my education and move back to Harrison County. I am now the doting mother of a 13-month-old daughter,  Raylie, who is my world! I hope to teach English to grades 5-12 in this county or one nearby. I hope we all have an amazing, productive, successful,  and rewarding semester! Cheers!
As a child (and an adult) my favorite children's book has always been The Giving Tree. There is just something so tender about Shel Silverstein's writing. iI have enjoyed all of the books that I have read by him.

Spring 2015: Reading One

Shannon DeWitt

READ 6360

CCSS

“Although many are creating partnerships with higher education, only 16 states plan to align college admission or first-year undergraduate curriculum with CCSS.”  (p. 1-2)  I think this seems counter-productive if only about one quarter of the states are actually trying to prepare students for college. What if your family moves from a state that honored the alignment to one that does not? Or, vice versa. I think there should be more of a conscious effort made by all states to prepare students for higher education, especially if that’s what we are all aspiring toward.

The CCSS is by no means a perfect system, but I think that it should help all states to have the same standards. I think that this would benefit anyone who may move from county to county or state to state to stay on top of their academic studies.

Censorship

“Censorship has similarly negative effects on teachers. It devalues their expertise as it prevents them from drawing on their knowledge about specific students, available materials, and the local context to make instructional decisions.”  (p. 2)  I had not thought about it in this way, but it makes sense. I am not sure an approved reading-list is the best solution. Who can say that what is on that list won’t offend someone anyway. I believe we currently live in a world where everyone is offended by something and they are more than willing to Facebook about it. Personally, I loved “banned books” week at college, especially. It was interesting to read what was and is banned, yet some other stories are allowed to be told with no repercussion. I have to admit that the comment about the Scarlet Letter being filth made me giggle. There are tawdry little tidbits in so many stories (i.e. Shakespeare-anything).  And, another thing, how many of these irate parents let their children watch television that isn’t G-rated and have access to social media that is by far the best of the world’s nonsense and trash? (of course, I have a Facebook account).

Comprehension

“Preparing students to read complex texts effectively is one of the most important and most challenging responsibilities of schools.” (p. 3)  When I read this, I immediately thought, “well, yeah, hasn’t this always been the case?”  Why is this a new idea? What have we been promoting in the past? This is definitely the most important part of preparing our students for higher education. Students need to be able to pick a part a text, compare it to other texts they have read, and truly extract meaning from what they are reading. Without these things, we are not fully developing literacy in our students. I think both textual complexity and close reading are important for understanding what we read. I do not think they are as independent from one another as they are presented in the article. Both of these processes need to be involved in developing a full literacy capability.