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Re: [Phys-l] High stakes testing (Was:What's the point of teachingto the testwhen it's questions are incorrect?)



Wow! You guys stopped in March!? I thought I was hustling to finish up by late May and run a couple week review! Did your school/teacher just do the minimum curriculum, or cover all the optional and extended topics? That had to be a SERIOUSLY boring final quarter for you guys!

----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph Bellina" <jbellina@saintmarys.edu>
To: "Forum for Physics Educators" <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] High stakes testing (Was:What's the point of teachingto the testwhen it's questions are incorrect?)


Just a couple of comments

I grew up under the regents system in NY, going to a reasonably good
private school. I recall that in March we stopped whatever we were
doing and started doing practice regents exams...there wasn't even an
attempt to use them as the basis for learning. Basically the
teachers guessed what the hot topic would be that year and then
drilled on it.

On the other hand, I know there are seriously sub-par schools, where
there is little motivation to change. It seems to me in these
extreme cases, there is a reason for testing, as a way to attack the
bottom.

So I think there is some reason for doing something. The UK wrecked
their ed system by going to high standards testing before we did. We
should learn from them and find some other way to get the bottom moving.

joe

Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556