Interesting piece. The saga goes on and on…. about using student test scores for everything.  Will doing the dishes be next?http://www.joannejacobs.com/2011/05/the-exaggerated-power-of-test-scores/comment-page-1/#comment-163857

But WAIT!!

Before we use test scores for any accountability–student and/or teacher and/or schools, let’s be sure the tests are valid–that is, that they actually measure what they say they measure.

Check out my friend, Marcia Kastner’s new book, TESTING THE TEST on this… and her Commentary in Education Week (May 11).

http://www.marciakastner.com

http://marciakastner.com/ed-week-commentary_311.html

Here’s my friend, Marcia Kastner’s email blast about her COMMENTARY this week! Thought you’d like to see this.

Before we start to base so much on testing (student, school, and teacher accountability, for starters), let’s be sure that the tests are valid and reliable.

Hello everyone,

 As you know, I’ve written a book titled “TESTING THE TEST:  How to Recognize When Math Tests Are Flawed, How to Fix Them, Why We Should Care.”  If you’ve had a chance to read my book, I hope you’ve found it helpful and informative.  In my book you will see that I feel passionately that math tests must be valid, that is, measure what they were designed to measure about what students know – and don’t know.  Only valid tests give educators accurate information about student achievement, which is absolutely necessary for improving education.

 Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that many national and state standardized tests have flawed math questions that prevent the tests from being valid.  My concern about these tests, as well as the growing emphasis on using test scores for teacher, school, and student accountability by state governments, encouraged me to write an article about this issue.  I am happy to report that my article has just been published as a Commentary titled “Testing the Test” on the back page of the May 11, 2011 issue of Education Week, the premier source of news, information, and analysis on K-12 education!  In the words of the Commentary Editor, my article is “thought-provoking” and discusses a “provocative topic.”  You can read the article on my Web site at http://marciakastner.com/ed-week-commentary_311.html.  Let me know what you think!

 I would like to continue to spread the word about this topic.  Please let me know if there are other outlets or specific organizations and people who would benefit from reading my book or article.

I look forward to hearing from you!

 Thanks,

Marcia Kastner

info@marciakastner.com

www.marciakastner.com

Her story, Wu wins mathcounts… 87.5% of participants in this middle school math contest are Chinese Americans. That says it all to me.

Our laws focus on closing the gap–from the bottom to the middle. Check out NCLB, AYP, even the special ed law, the IDEA.

It’s more than time for us to work on closing that other huge gap–from the middle to the top. What laws and policies focus on that now? I can’t think of one.  We need to change this approach.

Time on task.  Let’s measure that in our nation’s classrooms, so says this wonderful op-ed piece.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01bausell.html?src=recg.  A great read. Yes, this approach makes sense to me. Let’s measure what takes place in the classroom. More time on task usually leads to more learning.

This seems to be a far more direct way to measure effectiveness, more than the indirect way of measuring student performance on tests designed to measure student performance–not teacher performance–and then extrapolating from those student test results.  A test should be used only for what it’s designed.  This convoluted approach does not seem valid.

Thus this op-ed piece is hopeful:  Let’s measure what goes on in the classroom.  That is direct. Not extrapolated. It seems like a winning approach to me.

Joanne Jacobs has an interesting piece about reformers who went to private schools trying to fix public schools.

http://www.joannejacobs.com/2011/04/its-the-academic-content-stupid/

We can go around and around with that one, but how about this radical idea for true reform?

 I’ve always thought (and written once in an op-ed piece) that, truly, the only way to fix our public schools is to close all the private schools. Radical, eh? Only in that way, schools will matter for everyone–not just for other people’s children.

Of course, it won’t happen. Alas. But, it would work. I’d predict that within a year, our schools would be fixed, even in the inner cities–kids would learn, discipline would be in place, teachers would have time to teach, and the sun would shine upon us all.

How about giving this idea a try?

http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/154424.html#comment-30853.  Frankly, I am NOT surprised.  Are you?

As a former teacher, and current school attorney, I found that direct instruction worked best for my students (who were at all achievement levels).  Now, so many years later, it’s gratifying to see research confirming that approach.

Of course, a blend of approaches– direct and problem solving–is probably the way to go.