| This page is under construction. Standardized Testing I. Testing Vocabulary A. Standardized Test: Any test that is administered in a uniform manner and then scored objectively. It does not necessarily reflect high Performance Standards or contain questions related to the Content Standards or the curriculum. 1. Performance Standards: The level of learning that students are expected to display in order to be considered proficient in a subject. There are output standards. Decisions regarding performance standards are often made at the state level and are tied to Accountability issues. Requiring higher performance standards is sometimes termed “raising the bar.” Homeschoolers can use portfolios and other alternative assessment tasks to demonstrate that they have met high performance standards. These standards, of course, may differ from those of the public schools. 2. Content Standards: The list of knowledge and skills that teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to learn. These are input standards. Content standards are usually devised by educational organizations such and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics or by committees at the state level. Homeschoolers who create curricula to meet their children’s unique learning needs are creating alternative content standards. 3. Objective test: Often mistakenly thought to mean that the content of the test is factual and therefore not open to question of speculation, the term “objective test” actually refers to the scoring system. Objective tests are used when there are multiple scorers, so that personal interpretations will not be a factor in correction and grading the tests. Machine-scored tests also need to “objective.” As an alternative to using objectively scored standardized tests to verify parent assessments, homeschoolers might ask an outside reviewer to use a Rubric and Analytic Scoring to grade student work. (Use the fact of how many planets are there as an “objective” question. If the test was made up in advance of recent discoveries then the correct answer has to be 9. However, is that really correct and shouldn’t a student be able to show what they have learned about how science changes by what has occurred in astronomy recently.) 4. Subjective test: A test in which the assessor uses his or her professional judgment n the scoring of evaluation of student work. Because subjective tests often use open-ended questions or tasks, there may be a variety of correct responses. Homeschoolers are well positioned t use informal subjective tests that encourage complex and reflective responses. B. Achievement Test: A standardized test designed to measure the content or skills a student has learned, assumedly through classroom instruction. Using standardized achievement tests can be problematic for homeschoolers because much of their learning has not occurred through the direct instruction model used in classrooms. Secondly, since homeschooling parents often develop alternative curricula for their children, the content of a standardized achievement test may not match what has been taught in the homeschool program. Nor may the children have the test-taking skills that are taught by direct classroom instruction. Rather than using achievement tests, most homeschooling parents use a variety of assessment tools to test their children’s achievements. Achievement tests are different from Aptitude Tests, which are purported to measure innate ability. There is a debate among educators as to whether certain widely used aptitude tests actually measure innate ability, since test preparation and cultural biases may affect the student’s score. (SAT-College Board originally called an aptitude test and was designed to level the playing field. No more.) C. Competency test: A test which measures whether the student has the basic information and skill necessary to move to the next level of learning or out into the real world. In schools, competency testing may be done as a precondition for promotion or graduation. Colleges and employers often use competency test results in admissions and hiring. Homeschoolers can use the College Board’s CLEP exams as one way of showing academic competency. Employers may ask applicants to demonstrate a desired skill to determine competency. (Road test for drivers license is a competency test.) D. Criterion-Referenced Test: A test that is designed to measure how well a student has mastered the content that was taught. Informal teacher-made tests are usually criterion-referenced, as are most statewide achievement tests, which are designed to measure how well students are mastering the public school curriculum. Because the teacher or the state determines that a certain level of achievement is required to “pass the test” few or many students may do so. (NY Regents test) F. Norm-Referenced Test: A test in which a student or group’s performance is compared to that of a group of students chosen by the test developer. The results of this select group of students are used to create scores and set standards. Because the test developer looks at the norm, or midpoint, of the scores, half the test-takers will score above the norm and half will fall below it. When students take a normreferenced test, this is the group to which their results are compared. Students in the norm group can be divided into sub-groups (e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, private and parochial schools, etc.) so that comparisons for these groups can be setablished. When considering a particular norm-referenced test, ask if it has been normed to homeschoolers. (All definitions from The Homescooler’s Guide to Portfolios and Transcripts by Loretta Heuer, M.Ed.) II. Why To Not Test A. Norm-Referenced Test Problems 1. Tests are “normed” to white, middle-class, middle American, education and experiences, so are biased. 2. Tests have measurement error. a. Student is having a bad day on test day. b. Different versions of the same level test are not exactly the same yielding different results among test groups. c. Test taking conditions are not truly standardized. 3. Questions may be obscure and tricky in order to get the test taking body to fall along the lines of the predicted bell curve. 4. Scores for young children are much less reliable than for older children. 5. Most norm-referenced tests focus too heavily on memorization and routine procedures. According to FairTest.org: “The damage caused by using NRTs is far greater than any possible benefits the tests provide. The main purpose of NRTs is to rank and sort students, not to determine whether students have learned the material they have been taught. They do not measure anywhere near enough of what students should learn. They have very harmful effects on curriculum and instruction. In the end, they provide a distorted view of learning that then causes damage to teaching and learning.” B. Criterion-Referenced Test Problems 1. The testing organization sets the criteria for the test, which would then set curriculum. 2. As homeschoolers, do we want a testing organization setting our curriculum. 3. If homeschoolers use criterion-referenced tests that the schools use, it has homeschoolers letting public or private schools set their curriculum standards instead of doing it for themselves. 4. Scope and sequence are arbitrary and homeschoolers should be able to set that themselves, not by what a test emphasizes. C. Multiple Choice Test Problems 1. Not truly objective. 2. Good for checking factual knowledge, but not creative or critical thinking. (See I. 3. above, planets) 3. Guessing could be just as good as knowledge for some. 4. Doesn’t give partial credit for correct thoughts but wrong answer. D. What Testing Can’t Measure (an incomplete list) 1. Tests cannot measure creative or practical knowledge. Or, of the seven types of multiple intelligence that Harvard’s Howard Gardner says we can possess, only two can possibly be measure by testing (linguistic and logical/mathematical). 2. Standardized tests do not allow for higher order thinking such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation and creativity. 3. Standardized tests also cannot measure writing ability, math applications, scientific reasoning, thinking skills, or assess what a person can do when confronted with a real-world problem. E. Standardized Testing Can Affect Curriculum Choice 1. Teaching to the test becomes the norm 2. As homeschoolers do we want our primary teaching to be what our child will be tested on instead of what they want to learn or even what as parents we feel is important. F. Standardized Testing Can Affect Motivation 1. “Psychologists have defined two types of learning motivations: extrinsic motivation, when the desire to learn is spurred by the offer of a reward or the threat of a punishment, and intrinsic motivation, when the desire to learn grows out of a genuine interest in mastering a skill or concept. Some research indicates that students may learn better when the impetus for learning comes form internal motivation (Viadero, 1999). When standardized test and test scores are used as the focus of learning, they can become a form of external reward or punishment. Motivation experts say that when more emphasis is place on high test scores than on learning to its own sake, students’ enthusiasm for learning dips. The reward becomes more important than the learning (Viadero, 1999).” (National Parent Information Network) 2. Test preparation could push broad-based critical thinking aside for narrower cognitive skills. Over time compliant thinking develops with students needing someone to tell them what to do. As homeschoolers we are trying to promote intrinsic motivation for learning. We want our children to be life-long learners and be self motivated. The mandating of standardized tests goes against the principles we are trying to instill in our children. III. Why to Test A. To assure ourselves that our children are doing as well as their traditionally schooled peers. B. To assure our critics that our children are doing as well as their traditionally schooled peers. C. When required to gain admissions to a traditional school, college, or university. IV. Testing Alphabet Soup: The what and the how. A. Achievement tests for different grades Piense I: grades 6 and 7 (PR only, math, Spanish, and English) Piense II: grades 9 and 10 (PR only, math, Spanish and English) Given by College Board, will be done at a school if a homeschooler group can be put together. $12 CEPA: grades 6 to 12. For planning purposes by exploring child’s interests, capabilities, and personality. $12 CEPA and Piense can be given together. $19 These are tests given by the College Board. More info at: http://oprla.collegeboard.com/ptorico/pr/prmain.html Learn Aid: Private tester in San Juan. Test math, Spanish, and English. $45. California Achievement Test (CAT): A norm referenced test Fifth Edition (CAT/5). This achievement test comes in two forms, the CAT/5 Complete Battery and the shorter CAT/5 Survey. Published in 1992 by CTB/McGraw-Hill, the CAT/5 is a nationally recognized standardized test administered to elementary and secondary school students in public schools, private schools, and home schools across the country. This 5th edition is the latest edition that the publisher, McGraw-Hill, allows home school students to be tested. Can be administered by parent. Stanford Achievement Test (SAT): Administered as an untimed test (but with recommended times provided) Nationally standardized and recognized to meet most transfer or state requirements. Year-round availability Confidential computer-scored results that include a variety of norm- and skill mastery-referenced scores, along with interpretation helps. Available in combination with OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test). Option available to administer the complete battery or select portions of test (From Bob Jones Univ.) Evaluates students at various grade levels in the following areas: Word study skills(K5-grade 4) Reading Skills/Comprehension (K5-grade 12) Vocabulary (grades 2-12) Mathematics (K5-grade 12) Language (grades 1-12) Spelling (grades 1-12) Social Studies/Science (K5-grade 12) Listening (K5-grade 8) Iowa Test of Basic Skills: Nationally standardized and recognized to meet most transfer or state requirements. Year-round availability. Confidential computer-scored results that include a variety of norm- and skill masteryreferenced scores, along with interpretation helps. Available in combination with the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) Option available to administer the complete battery or select portions of test. (From Bob Jones Univ.) Evaluates students at various grade levels in the following areas: Listening (K5-grade 2) Word Analysis (K5-grade 2) Reading Comprehension (grades 1-12) Language (K5-grade 12) Spelling (grades 1-12) Mathematics (K5-grade 12) Vocabulary (K5-grade 12) Sources of Information (grades 1-12) Social Studies/Science (grades 1 spring-12) (There are also standardized test such as the SSAT that private schools ask for as part of the admissions process.) To obtain the above tests and check who can administer: A to Z’s Home’s Cool Testing Services page for grade school and high school achievement tests: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/010499b.htm Homeschool Testing and Educational Resources http://thurbers.net/teatests.html B. Achievement Tests for College Entrance College Board Tests in English. Administered by College Board at set times. Register online at www.collegeboard.com Places administered depend on test. PSAT/NMSQT: To prepare for SAT and qualify for National Merit Scholarship. Given at schools, so arrangements must be made by homeschoolers. Taken in October of the junior year. SAT: Basic entrance test that covers math(algebra/geometry), reading comprehension, and writing (grammar/writing). Usually taken toward end of Junior year. Almost 4 hours with new writing section. SAT Subject Exams: Given at end of course in a number of high school subjects. Can be taken as early as 7 or 8 grade if child has done advance work. th th Must make arrangements for College Board to keep score on file if taken before 9th grade. Way to show mastery at the high school level of certain subjects. One hour test. A.P.: Courses given at high schools or through distance learning programs with an A.P. test at the end. Some colleges give course credit with a score of 4 or 5. (Technically you can take the test without taking the class, if you feel the student has cover comparable material and would do well.) CLEP: Tests in specific areas, mostly survey courses from the freshman and sophomore years of college. A way to prove college readiness and get credit. Check with college you are applying to, to see if they accept CLEP before taking. Non College Board Test: ACT: Alternative to the SAT basic test. Info at: http://www.actstudent.org/ Places around the island on different dates. Need to check website. Registration is with test site, not through the website as with College Board. Covers: English, math, reading, science, with and optional writing section. College Board Tests in Spanish. College Board (PR): http://www.collegeboard.com/enespanol/ http://oprla.collegeboard.com/ptorico/pr/prmain.html As above, go to web site to find out about tests and sign up. PEAU: Standard admissions test with tests in English, math, and Spanish. One language is as a second language. ELASH: English language assessment for Hispanics PNA: Advance level tests TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign language): The TOEFL test consists of three main sections: listening, structure/written expression (i.e. grammar) and reading comprehension. Colleges and universities in North America and in other countries use Test of English as a Foreign Language scores to measure English proficiency for potential students. Some colleges will allow this test as a substitute for the SAT(College Board, US) in admissions. http://www.eslpages.com/TOEFL.htm |