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EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS RESEARCH Research indicates that a child’s success in school is significantly influenced by having: FREQUENT AND SYSTEMATIC MONITORING OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS Teachers find out what students already know and what they still need to learn by assessing student work. They use essays, quizzes and tests, homework, classroom questions, standardized tests, and parents’ comments. Errors on tests and in class as serve as early warning signals to point out and correct learning problems before they worsen. Standardized tests may be a problem for some students. Their English may not be standard English or their cultural backgrounds and values may be so different from the mainstream culture that they may read or interpret test questions incorrectly. They may not like tests of be fearful of taking them and these negative attitudes may be reflected in their test results. Sometimes when these students receive low test scores they may lapse into denial or defensiveness. Continued poor achievement trends of students on standardized tests may signal attitudes and assumptions that need to be challenged and addressed: attitudes of defensiveness and cultural deficiencies on the part of teachers and attitudes of helplessness and hopelessness on the part of students. They may also reveal institutional barriers that need to be removed before students can succeed. Taking time to analyze the types of questions asked on standardized tests and using the information to understand and explore where the problems are has enhanced the understanding of both teachers and students. Increased understanding has led to enrichment activities and increasingly high expectations for student achievement. The teachers don’t "teach the test". Rather, they use test results to extend their instructional practices. All students benefit when educators take time to understand and probe the information from standardized tests - to carefully and appropriately interpret what the tests mean and do not mean and how they might best be used. Sources: |
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