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Instructing For
Life!
One who teaches must be constantly learning |
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Instructional
Design Sites
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Welcome to the new instructional design pallet of Robert Bradley. Here I will be testing web based exercises in the instructional design. There will be various types of instructional topics on this site.
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Thinking about Instruction: Articles To Help
Alternative Standardization
"An American educator who was examining the British educational system once asked a headmaster why so little standardized testing took place in British schools. "My dear fellow," came the reply, "In Britain we are of the belief that , when a child is hungry, he should be fed, not weighed." This anecdote suggests the complementary question: "Why is it that we do so much standardized testing in the United States?" (Bowers, 1989)
"I do not believe that out children are intellectually inferior to those in other countries. Our students will rise to the challenge of high standards. They will succeed and be better prepared to compete in the new century." (Watts, 2001)
The challenge has been issued and both sides are preparing for battle. The war that rages is between standardized testing and alternative assessment. Proponents on both sides seem to be entrenched in their belief that one or the other is better. What seems to be at the bottom of the debate is, which method yields the best return on investment (ROI) in terms of higher recognized test scores, as well as transferable knowledge and skills into real world application. This paper explores those two positions as presented in a pro-Standardized Testing article, entitled, Students Will Rise to the Challenge, written by Ohio Senator Eugene Watts and an anti-Standardized Testing article, entitled, Alternatives to Standardized Educational Assessment, written by Bruce C. Bowers. Within the exploration of the positions will be the author's reaction to the articles in general and three key issues that were common to each article. The key issues that are found in both articles are: (1) objective consistency across the board, (2) governmental involvement and (3) instructional/testing methods.
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In This Corner, Standardized Testing Senator Watts' article seemed to be based on the information used in defending his position for authoring the laws he sponsored. He sited several studies, statistics and agencies, such as the Ohio Department of Education, The Fordham Foundation and Education at a Glance: OECO Indicators, as his basis for his pro-Standardized Testing stand. It was this use of second hand information that struck the author negatively. The overly formal tone of the article made it seem to be state propaganda for Standardized Testing. The article states that before the government stepped in with proficiency testing that students were being graduated with sub-par reading levels; fourth grade and sub-par math skills; second grade. It wasn't until, near the end of the article that teachers and teaching methods were mentioned. At that point, the article briefly, took on a more informal and sincere tone. It was also at this point that the alternative teaching methods were discussed. As the article states, "� the way the proficiency test are drafted is encouraging students to be more thoughtful, since teachers are relying less on multiple-choice questions and requiring more open-ended and extended responses�"(Watts, 2001) |
And In This Corner, Anti-Standardized Testing The anti-Standardized Testing article had a much less formal tone, while keeping an air of professionalism. In the same way that the pro-Standardized Testing article used references, the anti-Standardized Testing author sited several references. However, in this article, they were presented in a much more personal way. In explaining why and how standardized testing was implemented, the author sited such references as Grant Wiggins and Robinson and Craver. This made the article much easier to read and much more engaging. It was easy to tell that Bowers designed the paper to inform. The first part of the article laid the foundation by presenting a brief history of Standardized Testing, problems associated with Standardized Testing. The author then moved the reader into a discussion of alternatives to Standardized Testing that have been suggested, a discussion of consistency when using alternative assessment methods in different settings and finally a discussion of efforts by the government to provide alternative assessment methods. The primary assessment that was focused on, was performance-based assessments. The explanation and uses of performance-based assessments described in this article elicited more excitement and gave more direction in terms of providing information needed to understand and decide on a course of action regarding Standardized Testing. |
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The Bell Sounds For The Final Round While the tones of the articles were vastly different, both articles did have some good points. And even though the pro-Standardized article sounded like propaganda, both articles did a good job of presenting the need for a means of assessing students and addressing deficiencies in skill and knowledge. The fact that each article relied on alternative means of training and assessing students, is an undeniable proof of the validity of Alternative Assessment. What seems to be an issue that needs to be addressed is how to bring Standardized Testing into an agreement with Alternative Assessment. |
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Reference Bowers, B. C., (1989). Alternatives
to standardized educational assessment, ERIC Digest Series, EA 40. Retrieved
February 16, ____2002 from ERIC Clearinghouse
on Educational Management, [Online], Available Watts, E., (2001). Students will rise to the challenge, Eisenhower National Clearinghouse, [Online], Available ____http://www.enc.org/topics/assessment/testing/document.shtm?input=FOC-001574-index |
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