Standards Based Testing - Comments and Discussion

Standardized Tests and Standards-Based Tests: Comparing and contrasting two different assessment types.

Standards Based Testing - Comments and Discussion

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Standardized vs. Standards-Based Tests, published in Directory : General : Assessment.

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Marcus J. wrote on Feb 24, 2005	quote options
Quote It should not be the goal of teachers to give out 5% A's, 15% B's, 60% C's, 15% D's, and 5% F's. As teachers, it should be our goal to help ALL students achieve to a high degree. Standards-based instruction and assessment makes this possible. I like that. However, when I was thinking about it, it occurred to me that even though the "old" grading system might be based off the assumption that we're going to fail a certain number of students, I wonder...how many teachers--practically speaking--actually view it that way? I know when I was in the classroom, tests were a way of measuring material learned, not pitting one student against another. -edited by Douglas Twitchell on Feb 25, 2005
Brian A. Twitchell wrote on Feb 25, 2005	quote options
Quote I know when I was in the classroom, tests were a way of measuring material learned, not pitting one student against another. At one level, I think tests certainly ARE a way of measuring material learned. But when students grades are generated by lining up all the test scores to determine how to "scale" them, then we are pitting one student against another. Just a few weeks ago, I saw that a university (I THINK it was Princeton) passes a resolution that said that a department could ONLY give out a certain percentage of grades that were A's. This forces students to compete against each other, and not to focus on whether or not they have mastered the material.
Douglas Twitchell wrote on Feb 25, 2005	quote options
I find that rather surprising.

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