Re: School Board---NYS Physics Regents exam 2002

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

> (who is still very angry that the student who worked very hard all year
> (usuallly failing), never giving up, getting 66% of those questions
> right, has a 63 on her transcript.)

None of the discussion of the Regents exam has said anything about whether
the test actually tests student understanding of the physics concepts.
Unfortunately most of the standardized testing really tests factual
knowledge rather than understanding.  Is it necessary for the Regents exam
to be a "high stakes test".  Prior to the current national mania for high
stakes testing, the Regents exam was only required for those students who
wished to have a state diploma.  The local school could still grant a local
diploma.

What is the actual result of high stakes testing?  It forces many schools
into teaching to the test.  Just today I talked to a teacher who is being
forced to use a curriculum which just provides test review.  It is designed
to get the students through the Texas TAKS test.  Every test is essentially
similar to the state test and only material is taught which will be on the
test.  Students are spoon fed procedures for doing the types of problems on
the test.  At the same time teachers are being told to do inquiry.  Of
course the idea of inquiry is totally ignored because passing the test
determines salaries and whether the teachers will have jobs in the future.

I previously provided an excerpt of an article which quoted research on this
type of teaching.  Students who are fed a diet of procedures have no ability
to apply these procedures to similar but different problems.  Even when rote
procedures are combined with teaching for understanding the same result
happens.  However if the students are taught to understand, then they have
the ability to bridge to other problems.

 From what I can see students are getting even more rote memorization of
procedures.  In addition at least in TX material which is age inappropriate
is being pushed to lower and lower grades.  This compounds the problem
because inappropriate material can only be memorized.  Even private schools
are experiencing this problem.  Anecdotal evidence at our school shows that
students are coming in with less and less thinking ability.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.