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More cheating scandals begin to brew. When children transferring out of a school drop from 90th percentile to 30th - something is up and that may be test fraud. Read this new york times article and also, if you want to know how to find statistical anomalies that point to cheating - the first Freakonomics book is an essential read.

"According to The Times, last year P.S. 31′s “math scores were nearly perfect, and 90 percent of its students passed the English test, more than 40 points above the citywide average. To celebrate, staff members tied a sign to the building: ‘School Report Card P.S. 31 is #1 in New York City.’” The school has 550 students, in PreK to fifth grade.

At P.S. 257, where most of the preK to fifth-grade students are black or Hispanic and poor, “62 percent of the children at the school had a score of proficient or higher on the state English exam.”

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There is a growing resistence to standardized testing as parents get organized, this New York Times article gives an overview of some of the things happening.

"Resistance also appears to be growing more organized. Groups like Change the Stakes are helping to spread information about opt-out procedures and have created a spreadsheet to help parents navigate the field testing landscape.

ParentVoicesNY has created a boycott form letter that parents can download, sign and then submit to their school. The group also has direct connections with more than 20 schools, according to Kevin Jacobs, a public school teacher who is one of its active members."

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Parents are demanding more transparency in the tests. Think about it the Standard Aptitude Test or SAT that is taken to get into US colleges publishes at least one test a year. The AP tests are released afterwards. However, there is no such transparency in standardized tests given to kids. Parents are asking if what is being measured is even important. Because our teachers grade the tests by hand if we ask, we can see what questions our kids missed. I got upset when one of my children did poorly on the environment section, for example, when he was in K4. But then, I found he incorrectly identified a subway turnstile and a man with a gavel and GRAY WIG that was supposed to be a judge and decided I didn't care. We need transparency in our testing. It is an idea whose time has come. If something is that important, it is worth the scrutiny deserved by the amount of money spent on administering the tests.

education news testing

With 29 more questions struck from exams in New York due to "translation errors" the heat is on Pearson.

education news testing

In the UK, a very large selective authority admits that grammar school pupils favors wealthier children. The test has now caused schools to be warned against using the test because affluence plays a role in the results. Additionally, they imply that because of the influence of affluence that ethnicity is also a factor. Because coaching can have such an impact, and those with more money pay for coaching, it has been discredited. However, one could take this and apply it to the SAT in the US. I'm an SAT coach at my school and those who go through the process and take it seriously, do improve their scores much more. It is hard to remove affluence from influence but I think it is good to get this out on the table and let people know about it.

education news bias testing edu_news

Great questions about the real importance of school and a child's success. I believe that there is always something that we can do to improve our child's education but perhaps it is that belief that I can do something that makes a difference - more of a difference than my child's school, even. The fact that when my child has trouble learning something, that we spend hours reviewing it until he can convert and add fractions or we buy books at the bookstore until we find something he loves to read (Captain Underpants, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid authors deserve my undying appreciation!) Great questions.


"What if it made no difference at all what school you went to? What if your academic success was determined by factors completely outside your school’s control - your parents’ wealth, your ethnicity, your prior attainment?

What if your child’s exam results could pretty much be predicted before you even began the race for a good place?

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Teacher A.J. Juliani reflects on standardized testing and teacher evaluations. He has a balanced reflection that doesn't say "throw out the test" as many say but advocates for transparency. A thought provoking read.

"Therefore, a teacher may have been ranked in the 60th percentile, but due to a limited amount of data used for this ranking, the possible ranking stretched from 35% to 85%.  This same teacher, given a few more years worth of test data, could reduce that confidence interval to 45% to 75%. 

education edreform testing

Kaplan has released a free SAT turbo test. In 90 minutes, they say that you'll know approximately what your score will be on the SAT. This could be something you could do with students. They've made it so you can use your web browser and take this on the ipad. I'd like to see the output that comes at the end of it.

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This teacher reflects on the practices he feels have raised test scores in his classroom. Test scores are a fact and until it is changed at the top, teachers in the classroom have to work within that environment.

teaching testing

Another website with some concerns about standardized testing.

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This very well written piece from Cathy Davidson has me cheering. It is written in response to the recent NY time article "Grading the Digital school." Cathy is the one who belongs in the New York Times in my opinion. Right on. Please read even if you don't agree, it will get you seeing how many educators think.

Education testing technology standards

Schools in England are boycotting Standardized Tests (they call the SAT's - not to be confused with the SAT that is taken to get into college.)

education testing

High stakes testing could have pushed some schools in Georgia to high stakes cheating. There are more than these 4 that many are calling suspicious with meteoric rises in scores from some schools that I and others personally know are not getting the job done with the content they are teaching for students.

Warning to parents: Beware of test scores - they can be manipulated. Look at your child and use your common sense as to whether they are receiving a good education.

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Paying kids to pass the AP test isn't working... but those supporting it say give it time.

In some ways, money is the easy answer. But money doesn't solve problems when you have a child who has low self esteem. A child who is beaten every night isn't going to want to learn more during the day for a one time incentive... they feel trapped.

Although the average improved (there were more "5's") - the overall pass rate declined slightly -- but more tests were taken.

I am glad that people are willing to put money into trying new things, but sometimes I think teachers are left out of the equation. If we look at brain rules, improving the family life of kids and making sure they get more sleep are two of the most beneficial things we could to improve test scores.

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