tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9202687599504806318.post5247495582483746476..comments2024-02-23T03:53:53.798-05:00Comments on Doc H's Blog: Grappling with testing questionsDr. Stephen L. Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880287602750084367noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9202687599504806318.post-15246870580856825392015-01-23T17:32:30.585-05:002015-01-23T17:32:30.585-05:00First, I want to say how much I enjoy and apprecia...First, I want to say how much I enjoy and appreciate your blog. School Boards across this great state would do well to follow suit and keep parents informed so thoroughly. Second, I'm probably overlooking the intention of this post. How much can test scores really tell us about how children are being educated? A number on a graph doesn't tell you if a child can read, write, and do basic math. Shouldn't those scores be accompanied by some kind of example of what was tested? Does NAEP use the same test each year or does the test change? Was the test more or less difficult from year to year? I think those are the important questions that need to be answered when we think about the testing our kids are subjected to. My children's school uses MAP three times a year and we get three nice graphs showing our child's performance alongside the district performance alongside the nation's performance. No where on this graph is mention of what my child was accurately able to answer and what he could not answer. In fact, my son just scored proficient in reading yet he must sound out nearly every word in his reading homework- words like cat, hat, sat; words he should be well acquainted with and able to read fluently. I don't feel that the MAP test in reading did a very good job measuring my son's ability to read. In fact, we worry about his reading to the point where we purchased a home school reading program to supplement what he wasn't learning during his nearly 8 hours of school each day. I have already started a mental list of things we will have to work on during summer vacation: adding and subtracting actual numbers, can a child add 37+8 if his lessons have been 'what is 10 more than 27' instead of 27+10?; reading to sound out words and recognize root words/word families, if f-o-r-m is form, i-n-f-o-r-m is inform; and handwriting, oh my the mess that is my children's handwriting, my son's handwriting is largely illegible. And I feel I must stress that these things I perceive as short comings are not a result of bad teachers. My children have had wonderful teachers. So where's the problem? Is it the curriculum? Is it the BOE? Is it my children? I mean, you tell me how a child can be proficient in reading and not be able to read the word cat without sounding out each syllable. West Kentucky Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15790963302809013681noreply@blogger.com