As I've been following numerous Twitter posts over some time now, standardized testing has been a big focus of people's tweets. I recall seeing one not too long ago that questioned the questions kids are being asked on standardized tests. I'm not sure that my following example is exactly what the tweet and responses were referring to, but I'd like to throw this out for some reflection and hopefully comments.
As a Special Education teacher by training, I'm more than used to having students misunderstand the language of questions, not understanding a word or more in the sentence and thereby throwing off their comprehension of what is being told and/or asked. In addition to teaching, I also tutor student, both students who receive and don't receive special education services. One of my kiddos is a private school child, who is very bright, and does not receive any special services. She struggles in math. As I was working ahead with her today in my copy of her "new" textbook she will be receiving once school starts, there was a section with the heading "standardized practice." The question I had her read over had to do with a girl wanting to buy her mom a birthday gift for a certain amount of money. To the right of the problem was a little table listing various items and their costs. The question she had to answer was which 3 items could she purchase and not go over the allotted amount.
Having tutored this girl for a handful of years and being familiar with the way she thinks, I knew her way of thinking through the problem would not be the way the question was wanting the reader to use. I asked her how she would approach the question to find an answer. (I have found such great value in regularly asking the kids "how" they came up with an answer or what they were thinking. It truly has been invaluable!) Her answer had to do with buying her mom (the mom) 2 movie tickets so she could go to a movie with her husband which she doesn't get to do as much as she likes and a pair of gloves because she knew her (the) mom needed a new pair. She really didn't give thought to the cost. She had other thoughts and priorities.
Being a teacher, I understood where the question was trying to go and what pattern of thought it was after. However, was the question fair? Was she wrong? I understand that the 3 items she picked may have exceeded the allotted money. I also know this girl, upon realizing this, might have re figured the gifts based on what else would benefit her mother. She also might have stuck with the original 3 gifts and said she'd borrow or earn the money. Does "applying personal experience" to this question make her answers and reasoning any less valid than the creator of the question?
I am in agreement with all the tweets and blogs and feelings that we have to take into account whether a kid is in poverty, not eating regularly, subjected to violence or witnessing violence and other extenuating circumstances when we are teaching and assessing a child. What about the kids that come from loving 2 parent homes, where poverty isn't an issue,where there is a strong belief and value system in place, they see proper role models, and they know education is important. If "these kinds of kids"are interpreting these questions in this way, are we really serving them well by these assessments. I would rather have a critical thinking, caring kid who may be a little off in her math, need a calculator or need to figure out another option than one who is not capable of these kinds of thinking skills.
The world could certainlybenefit from more thinkers like my girl.
