Another standardized test for students
03/09/07 11:31 PM Filed in: Current
topics in education
This one focuses on math skills for students in New
York. I understand the need for students to be able
to meet certain requirements so that we can be sure
they are learning. But at what point do we say
enough is enough? It seems that there are more and
more standardized tests coming onto the scene. I
tried to take the 8th grade test from last year and
didn't get as far as I thought I would be able to.
Some of the questions I was able to answer rather
easily but there were others that were much more
difficult for me to remember how to solve them.
One interesting link I find with this standardized test on math and technology education is through Project Lead the Way (PLTW). I have written about PLTW in a previous post. However, the point I want to make is that PLTW's mission is to grow the nation's engineering workforce by bring pre-engineering education to students in high school. Engineering requires a fairly solid understanding of mathematics. This standardized test seems to me to be a push towards increasing the math skills of students.
My next question, as it always is when discussing standardized testing, is whether or not this is really beneficial. Is forcing students to take (and pass) multiple standardized tests helping them learn? Or are they simply remembering concepts and ideas long enough to pass the test and then they forget what they were supposed to have learned? Its not an easy question to answer but it is definitely something to think about.
Source:
Herszenhorn, David M. (2007, March 7). An 8th-grade test, 180 degrees from easy. The New York Times, Retrieved March 7, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/education/07test.html?ex=1173934800&en=2e9dfb0f893a40bd&ei=5024&partner=BLACKBOARD
One interesting link I find with this standardized test on math and technology education is through Project Lead the Way (PLTW). I have written about PLTW in a previous post. However, the point I want to make is that PLTW's mission is to grow the nation's engineering workforce by bring pre-engineering education to students in high school. Engineering requires a fairly solid understanding of mathematics. This standardized test seems to me to be a push towards increasing the math skills of students.
My next question, as it always is when discussing standardized testing, is whether or not this is really beneficial. Is forcing students to take (and pass) multiple standardized tests helping them learn? Or are they simply remembering concepts and ideas long enough to pass the test and then they forget what they were supposed to have learned? Its not an easy question to answer but it is definitely something to think about.
Source:
Herszenhorn, David M. (2007, March 7). An 8th-grade test, 180 degrees from easy. The New York Times, Retrieved March 7, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/education/07test.html?ex=1173934800&en=2e9dfb0f893a40bd&ei=5024&partner=BLACKBOARD
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