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NCLB and Solid Test Preparation Advice
 No Child Left Behind legislation requires states to measure students'
progress in reading and mathematics annually in Grades 3-8 and at least once in
Grades 10-12 by 2005-2006. It also requires administration of the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) every two years in reading and
mathematics. As a result, there is concern among educators about the
nature of these tests and what appears to be an excessive focus on test
preparation. For example, in A
Case Study of Key Effective Practices in Ohio's Improved School Districts,
Research Associates Aaron Kercheval and Sharon Newbill (2002) reported the key
effective test preparation strategies included:
- Direct instruction in test-taking skills
- Extensive use of practice tests
- Instructional practice altered to mirror form and content of the
proficiency tests
- Intervention strategies to identify students needing help to pass
proficiency tests
- Variety of intervention/remediation programs offered at variety of times
during school day, and before/after school
- Intervention specialists hired or teachers reassigned or paid to conduct
remediation programs
- Students recognized and rewarded for success (p. 37).
According to Douglas Reeves (2004), "Even if
the state test is dominated by lower-level thinking skills and questions are
posed in a multiple-choice format, the best preparation for such tests is not
mindless testing drills, but extensive student writing, accompanied by thinking,
analysis, and reasoning" (p. 92). Silver, Strong, and Perini (2007)
found that student success on standardized tests, regardless of grade level or
content area, hinges on 12 core skills relating to those ideas. They
grouped those skills into four categories in what they call "Hidden Skills of
Academic Literacy." They say, "If we expect students to perform well on
state tests, we must teach them how to apply these skills without cutting into
content." Unfortunately, the skills that follow have been "radically undertaught
and rarely benchmarked" (sec: Part One: Introduction):
- Reading and study skills: collect and organize ideas through note
making; make sense of abstract academic vocabulary; read and interpret
visual displays of information;
- Reflective skills: construct plans to address questions and tasks; use
criteria and guidelines to evaluate work in progress; control or alter mood
and impulsivity;
- Thinking skills: draw conclusions, make and test inferences, hypotheses,
and conjectures; conduct comparisons using specific criteria; analyze the
demands of a variety of higher-order thinking questions;
- Communication skills: write clear, well-informed, coherent explanations
in all content areas; write comfortably in the following non-fiction genres:
problem/solution, decision making, argument, comparative; read and write
about two or more documents. (sec: Part One: Introduction, Figure E).
Emphasis on literacy was one key effective practice in Ohio's improved school districts (Kercheval
& Newbill, 2002). In other words, good instruction is
the best test preparation!
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Teaching to the Test?--An Answer to Consider
Jeff Weinstock (2008) of T.H.E. Journal provides food for thought for critics of
standardized testing. "When the system works the way it should,
teaching to the test is a misnomer. It's not the test that
teachers are teaching to, but the state learning standards embedded in
the test. Has the student learned this, that, and the other?...Count
me among those who think introducing some accountability into math
instruction is an idea whose time has come. I can't suffer another
generation of supermarket cashiers who become disoriented when I hand
over $8.07 for a $7.82 bill" (p. 8).
Read Dr. Patricia Deubel's full commentary,
Accountability, Yes. Teaching to the
Test, No featured April 10, 2008, in T.H.E. Journal SmartClassroom.
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Teaching to the Test
We would hope that teachers use a broad range of curricular materials and
activities that address standards--what we have identified as important for
students to know and be able to do. Teaching to the test is not a new
practice brought about by NCLB. Teachers have been doing it for as long as
standardized tests have been used to make important educational decisions.
Years ago, William Mehrens (1989) stated, "Although teaching to the test is not
a new concern, today's greater emphasis on teacher accountability can make this
practice more likely to occur. Depending on how it is done, teaching to the test
can be either productive or counterproductive" (para. 2, 3). Those words
are still true. He and his colleague Kaminski (1989, cited in Mehrens,
1989) suggest the following seven points on the continuum along which practices
range from ethical to unethical, or legitimate to illegitimate.
Ethical:
- giving general instruction on district objectives without referring to
the objectives that the standardized tests measure;
Typically Ethical:
- teaching test-taking skills;
Cross-over point depends on inferences you wish to draw from the test and
lies between:
- providing instruction on objectives where objectives may have been
determined by looking at the objectives that a variety of standardized tests
measure (The objectives taught may or may not contain objectives on teaching
test-taking skills.);
- providing instruction based on objectives (skills and subskills) that
specifically match those on the standardized test to be administered;
- providing instruction on specifically matched objectives (skills and
subskills) where the practice or instruction follows the same format as the
test questions;
Mehrens indicates, "The inferences you typically wish to draw from test
scores are general in nature and will be inaccurate if you limit instruction to
the actual objectives sampled in the test or, worse yet, to the actual questions
on the test" (sec: Summary).
Unethical:
- providing practice or instruction on a published parallel form of the
same test;
- providing practice or instruction on the test itself. (sec: Seven Points
on the Continuum).
Educators will observe, however, that current test prep efforts do include
using questions from old tests, which state departments of education release.
Technically, these are not parallel forms of the same test.
Good Instruction
So how does one plan for good instruction? For many teachers,
instruction has come to mean addressing as many standards as possible.
But, state exams do not test every benchmark annually. To assist teachers
with providing good instruction leading to improved student outcomes, O'Shea
(2005) suggests that
teachers have copies of standards and frameworks for each subject they teach,
and use them along with related state documents to plan lessons in regularly
scheduled grade-level or subject matter team meetings. Instruction
should not include "unchallenging student desk work, including word
searches, sentence completion exercises, puzzles, and other forms of response
sheets not linked to standards" (p. 13). In addition to identifying a
topic and rationale, a truly standards based lesson would include:
- statements of specific content standards to be addressed in the lesson.
- objectives
that translate the standards into outcomes-based language. This means that
objectives include descriptions of student behaviors or products that should
result from the instruction.
- curriculum
materials and instructional activities sequenced to elicit the performances stated in the
objectives.
- assessments of student work based on performances and behaviors
identified in the objectives. Teachers might save examples of student work meeting
standards.
Bloom's
Taxonomy, which lists behavioral verbs, is often used as a resource when
writing performance descriptions in objectives and assessments.
Further, O'Shea (2005) indicates that districts should:
- identify critical standards to be achieved in each subject for each
grade level.
- develop a curriculum pacing guide that informs teachers when their
students should achieve critical standards throughout the school year.
- use benchmark tests to measure the achievement of important standards at
quarterly intervals throughout the school year.
- use the benchmark assessment system to inform teachers of the progress
that each of their students is making toward the achievement of crucial
standards likely to be assessed on annual standards-based tests. (p. 14)
Joan Herman and Eva Baker (2005) say that there should be a strong predictive
relationship between students' performance on benchmark tests and their
performance on state assessments. They caution, however, that aligning
benchmark tests too closely with a state's tests may accelerate curriculum
narrowing. Tests should "focus on the big ideas of a content area" and be
designed to "allow students to apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of
contexts and formats" (p. 49). For mathematics test items, this might
include giving short answers, using multiple choice with extended explanations
for why an option was selected, and drawing pictures to demonstrate a concept.
They provide the following six criteria to help educators make benchmark testing
effective:
- Standards and benchmark assessments should be aligned from the beginning
of test development.
- Enhance the diagnostic value of assessment results through initial item
and test structure design. Distracters should be built into multiple
choice items to reveal common student misunderstandings. Likewise,
extended response items should reveal students' potential misconceptions.
- To ensure fairness for all students, including English language learners
and students with disabilities, language used should not be unnecessarily
complex. Contexts used should be familiar to student subgroups and not
hinder them from demonstrating what they know.
- Data should reveal test quality and include psychometric indices that
reveal the reliability of the assessments.
- Reports should be user-friendly so that educators can easily interpret
results. Schools might need to provide additional guidance and support
for teachers to use the results (e.g., pedagogical knowledge, alternative
materials, teams to analyze results).
- Benchmark testing should meets its purposes and requires systematic
design and continual evaluation.
Many are concerned that
standards-based instruction neglects the diverse learning needs of
students. However, Carol Ann Tomlinson (2000) indicates, "There is no
contradiction between effective standards-based instruction and differentiation"
(i.e., attending to the diverse needs of learners). "Curriculum tells us what
to teach: Differentiation tells us how." For any standard,
"Differentiation suggests that you can challenge all learners by providing
materials and tasks on the standard at varied levels of difficulty, with varying
degrees of scaffolding, through multiple instructional groups, and with time
variations. Further, differentiation suggests that teachers can craft lessons in
ways that tap into multiple student interests to promote heightened learner
interest in the standard. Teachers can encourage student success by varying ways
in which students work: alone or collaboratively, in auditory or visual modes,
or through practical or creative means" (p. 9).
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Test Prep and Math Realities
Read Dr. Patricia Deubel's commentary,
"Test Prep and Math
Realities," featured September 27, 2007, in T.H.E. Journal SmartClassroom.
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Back to top
Testing Preparation in Your State and
Practice Questions
Become
a Smart Learner--Raise your Skills! Learn more about standardized tests in your state, and the
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) using these
resources:
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All States:
Brainchild
Online Assessment: Subscription based by schools or individuals.
But demo questions are available online for your state. Lessons include
multimedia instruction, study mode with immediate feedback, test mode with
review of mistakes, self-directed student learning plan.
National Assessment of
Educational Progress has released numerous questions
from past NAEP assessments, along with data about student performance on
specific questions. An overview of NAEP and major findings from past
assessments are included. "The tools featured here can be used to supplement
classroom instruction, provide additional insight into the content of the
assessment, and show what students nationally or in your state or district know
and can do."
Arizona:
AIMS Sample
Tests for grades 3-8 and high school. Math includes questions and
answer keys. Exams contains formula and reference sheets of value for
anyone.
California:
High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) program resources: released test
questions are grouped by strands.
Florida: Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at the Florida Department of Education.
Get released test questions. Illinois:
You don't have to be an Illinois educator to appreciate the tips included
in both documents. After an introduction, chapters address test-taking
skills, student attitudes and motivation, assessing thinking skills in the
classroom, and general tips for classroom, homework, and assessment activities
with content area preview. Most state standardized tests address the
core subject areas. These documents also contain tips for preparing your
students for a reading and writing test, math test, science test, and social
science test, and tips for writing your own multiple choice items.
Maryland:
Maryland
State Department of Education releases a form
of the high school assessment each year to provide students, teachers, and the
public an example of how students are being assessed. Mathematics includes the forms for algebra/data analysis and
geometry. View items, take the tests online, and get scoring
information. Caveats for items selected for public viewing are
presented. Test items for grades 3-8 for math are also provided.
Massachusetts:
- Massachusetts State Department
of Education released test and re-test items from its comprehensive
assessment system, MCAS.
- Socrato.com is a web-based test
prep and assessment site, which features tests in multiple grades to prepare
for MCAS. Teachers can also upload their own questions and track
student progress.
Minnesota:
Minnesota Department of Education
has item samplers for tests administered in math for grades 3-8, 11.
New York:
Ohio:
- Ohio Department of Education
Instructional Management System (IMS). Ohio's IMS contains its
academic content standards, a database of lessons and unit plans,
assessments, resources and research, standards based education, and a
section on programmatic improvement. See also the
Practice tests,
which include Ohio Graduation Test prep and also Grades
3-8 Achievement Practice Test Materials and standards. These are
located at the new portal for Ohio Statewide Testing, launched June 29,
2007.
 For
this School Year! Target your test prep with CT4ME resources.
CT4ME developed Preparing
Your Students for the Ohio Graduation Test in Mathematics. Help
your students to review concepts and practice questions correlated to grades
8-10 mathematics benchmarks. These materials are also relevant for
students in other states.
- Go Figure?
--According to the introduction, "The purpose of the Go Figure?
Interactive Multimedia Project is to help students review for the
mathematics section of the Grades 5-7 Ohio Academic Achievement Tests.
It contains a DVD with eight, 20-minute dramatic videos, a CD-ROM edu-game,
print materials, and the Web Site," all brought to you from the WOUB
Center for Public Media.
- What's the Problem?
--Reality Math for the Ohio Graduation Test is an intervention resource
project funded by eTech|Ohio and produced by Ohio University students at
the WOUB Center for Public Media. This free series of eight 10-12
minute videos focuses on the uses of mathematics in the real world
through parodies of different television reality shows. The
episodes are linked to grades 8-10 benchmarks in the Ohio Content
Standards for Math (critical thinking/problem solving across the
curriculum). CT4ME is featured among the Teacher's Resources
for these episodes.
-
Northeast Ohio Schools
Proficiency Test Project is the joint effort of the Support Team for
Assessment, Testing and Statistics (STATS) and the Northeast Regional
Professional Development Center (NRPDC) at Cleveland State
University. It contains thirteen proficiency test workbooks and
notebooks (grades 4, 6, and 9), which "reveal many hidden secrets and
patterns in the proficiency tests and provide students and teachers with
useful practice materials." Documents are in PDF format and may
be freely distributed and copied.
- OGT Mentor, a
division of MCAS Mentor in Massachusetts, contains resources for teachers and
students preparing for the Ohio Graduation Tests. Resources are also
available for grades 3-5, and 6-8.
Texas:
- Mathematics TEKS Toolkit
from
the University of Texas at Austin contains resources for implementing the
mathematics Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and for improving math
programs in Texas. However, mathematics educators throughout the country
will appreciate the clarifying activities and assessments for K-8 and high
school courses (algebra 1, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus; and mathematical
models and applications). These are linked to specific standards by grade
level, strand, and content area.
-
Texas Education Agency: Released Tests, Answer Keys, and Scoring Guides.
The Student Assessment Division developed online versions of the
released TAKS™ and exit-level TAAS™ tests, and the end-of-course
examinations. Interactive online versions of recent TAKS
mathematics tests (and other subjects tested) are available for grades
3-11, with some in Spanish for grades 3-6.
- TRACK for the Texas TAKS:
The University of Texas TeleCampus provides TRACK, a free online test readiness program designed to help students and their teachers prepare for the 11th grade TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test.
TRACK includes diagnostic tests and supplemental learning materials in the subject areas tested on the exit-level TAKS.
Utah: Utah Test Item Pool Service
for K-6 elementary and 7-12 secondary levels (math 7, applied math I and II,
pre-algebra, elementary algebra, geometry) Tests arranged by standard and
objective. Also available are sample test items with answers for the Utah
Basic Skills Competency Test.
Virginia:
Virginia State Standards
Practice tests in mathematics, science, and technology. Mathematics
tests are available for grades 3, 5, 8 and algebra I, algebra II, and geometry.
Practice concepts in multiple choice form with answers. Exams can also be
customized by number of problems presented and by strand.
Washington: Port
Angeles School District, Washington, Sample Math Questions for the
Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) assessments. Problems by
grade level (K-8 and High School) presented in the web site are recommended for
student use to communicate (in written form) understanding of math content.
The series of problems are grouped by number sense, measurement, geometry,
algebraic sense, probability and statistics, logic, and problem solving strategies.
Back to top
Other Tips and Test Prep Materials
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Math
Anxiety
Everyone has experienced math anxiety at one time or another. Don't
let it prevent you from doing well in mathematics. Math anxiety is a
learned emotional response that often comes from negative experiences
working with teachers, tutors, classmates, or family members.
Symptoms include panic (feeling helpless about an ability to do better
and putting pressure on yourself, which affects your ability to
concentrate), paranoia (feeling that everyone but you knows the answer),
passivity (feeling that regardless of what action you might take, you
were just not born with math ability; hence you do nothing to overcome
the problem), no confidence (you continually question yourself and
approach math by memorizing rules and procedures, rather than through
understanding concepts). Identifying the source of your problem is
a first step in overcoming it.
Learn more about what math anxiety is, how to
take possession of your math anxiety, and get some strategies for how to
study math and take tests. Read
Coping
with Math Anxiety at Platonic Realms. |
Hot! Quick tips for standardized test preparation: Read
Duke and Ritchhart's article No
Pain, High Gain at Scholastic. They discuss strategies for reading
comprehension, mathematics, reducing test-taking stress, and teaching format
fundamentals. In mathematics, for example:
- Make word problems a priority;
- Stress number sense;
- Focus on estimation; and
- Emphasize mental math.
The College Board offers test
preparation materials, tips for success, and other information related to its
tests: SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, the Advanced Placement program, and College Level
Examination Program (CLEP).
Educational Testing
Service Formative Assessment Item Bank includes complete assessment coverage
for K-12 Math and Language Arts. This web-based resource is available for
a small fee per student. "State test standards are identified, so you can
create customized assessments that help target instruction on the most critical
standards that students need to master." The Instructional Data Management
System "[g]ives you the ability to add components such as scoring, reporting and
curriculum management, as your district needs them."
Family Education Network: Standardized Tests: Preparation and Advice. See some sample
questions by grade level (elementary, middle, high school), and get more tips for success.
A section for SAT and ACT test advice and practice questions is included.
Getsmarter.org is an
animated, interactive testing and learning site brought to you by the Council on
Competitiveness. This free site gives K-12 students or any users an
opportunity to self-assess their mathematics and science skills and to compare
them to other students worldwide. The site also provides materials for self
improvement: practice opportunities, hints, and links to tutorials to help
students do better. For high school students, MSTV (Math & Science
Television) gives interactive, real-world examples on why those subjects are so
important. Al Berkeley, Vice-Chairman of The Nasdaq
Stock Market, and Richard C. Atkinson, President, University of California,
chaired this initiative.
Glencoe
Mathematics Online Study Tools contains self-check quizzes, chapter tests,
standardized test prep questions, and vocabulary questions.
Multiple-choice is included. Select your state, then textbook.
Internet4Classrooms:
Access activities on specific concepts within mathematics
strands for grades 1-8 and an extensive list of standardized testing
practice sites.
Intervention Central provides intervention ideas in the areas of general
academic strategies, reading, writing, math, behavior modification, studying and
organization, classroom management, and making rewards work. This site is brought
to you by J. Wright, a school psychologist in Syracuse, New York. Jefferson Lab (VA),
although primarily for science education, has some good puzzles and games
suitable for use with elementary students to help them master basic math facts
using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; also practice use of
< = >, place value, and coordinates. Speed to complete exercises in noted
as a motivation element.
Kidtest.com helps students
from kindergarten through college to do better on achievement tests. The
site contains several practice U.S. state and Canadian province achievement
tests online and features near immediate grading and feedback reports. An
online educational supplies store and online flashcards are offered.
Kids Place Mathematics from
Houghton Mifflin Company contains online quizzes and tests and brainteasers
correlated to their mathematics textbooks for grades 1-6, and additional test
taking skills.
Math Counts
Problem Solving Strategies lists eight strategies with an example of
each. Math Counts is a well-recognized organization that provides contests
for middle school students nationwide. Also see their problem of the week
archive, extended activities, and read about algebraic thinking.
MathDrills by Elias Saab of the
University of Missouri will help students to prepare for Mathcounts, SAT and ACT
math problems. In addition, the basic skills sections can be used by
students in upper elementary through high school settings. Answers and
hints are provided. Sections include problems on distance, speed, and
time; problems on job completion, roots of polynomials, factoring polynomials,
percentage word problems, arithmetic and fraction attack (+, -, x, /), bases,
linear equation drills, prime factorization, and LCM and GCD. Elias Saab
also maintains the Online Test Page.
Mathematics
Tutorials from San Antonio College is the online version of what a
student might get from a tutor in a lab setting. It is a first-rate series
of modules starting with basic mathematics through pre-calculus and calculus for
business with slide shows, pdf files for printing content, and online exercises
in multiple choice format with feedback to help students in courses taught at
the college. However, the exercises in the basic mathematics courses
through algebra are very good for helping students prepare for state
standardized testing in math, as well. Highly recommended.
Math 10 Pure: Lance
Burns at the Argyll Center in Edmonton, Canada, has developed materials for this
course. He includes notes, video explanations, online interactive quizzes
with explanations for answers to problems, and unit exams for the following
topics: polynomials, rational expressions, relations and functions, real
numbers, numbers patterns, coordinate geometry, measurement, and statistics.
This site provides great reinforcement and review on many of the topics included
on U.S. high school assessment exams.
Number2.com has free online test prep for
the SAT, ACT, and GRE exams.
Saxon Publisher's Online
Activities include over 125 practice activities to help students master
content presented in their K-12 math texts. As activities are clearly
titled, these will benefit learners regardless of text used.
Study Guides and Strategies contains
several sections: study skills, preparing for tests, taking tests; improving
research, project management, reading, writing, science, and math skills.
Study Island is a commercial product
for standardized test prep in your state for elementary and high school grade
levels and exit exams or end of course exams--whatever your state requires.
The developers link their multiple choice questions to specific state standards.
The program is web-based offering diagnostics and instruction and will generate
various reports to help monitor mastery.
 Trends in International Mathematics and
Science Study Test your mathematics and science knowledge by completing
TIMSS items in the Dare to Compare challenge! TIMSS provides reliable and
timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of U.S. students compared
to that of students in other countries. See
how well your students stack up. Answers are provided as
feedback.
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NCLB Supplemental
Education Services
 NCLB
requires schools that fail to meet Annual Yearly Progress goals for a
third consecutive year to offer parents of low-income (Title I) students
a choice of tutoring from among a state-approved list of Supplemental
Education Service (SES) providers. Your state is required to identify SES tutoring providers for the
geographic region in which your district is located. The U.S.
Department of Education provides a list of state contacts among its
SES
resources.
See, for
example, the
SES
providers and information for Ohio parents and educators.
Districts, likewise, are required to notify parents about the availability
of services, at least annually.
Get more information about state and local education association
responsibilities, monitoring requirements and services, arranging for such
services, the role of parents, provider responsibilities and funding in NCLB Supplemental Educational Services
Non-Regulatory Guidance (June 13, 2005) at
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/suppsvcsguid.doc.
This 55-page document is from the U.S. Department of Education. Answers to frequently asked questions on school choice and SES are at
http://www.ed.gov/parents/schools/choice/choice.html.
Tutoring Guidelines
Just as in the classroom, tutors need to be qualified. They need
subject-matter expertise. Certification and prior teaching experience is a
plus. Edward Gordon (2006) provides the following suggestions on what to
look for in a good tutoring program.
- Check if the student has learning disabilities. "Past research reveals
that tutoring is most effective when it helps students literally 'learn how to
learn.' ...students often fail to master important basic skills because of
subtle undiagnosed learning disabilities, dyslexia, underachievement and other
learning issues that may limit study skills" (para. 4).
- Ensure that tutoring is individualized and that tutors are recording progress.
"Good tutoring -- particularly diagnostic/developmental tutoring -- closely
observes and records student learning strengths and weaknesses on a
class-by-class basis...This precise remedial approach is ongoing throughout the
student's tutoring sessions" (para. 5).
- "Tutors need to follow a written curriculum that helps individualize
their instruction" (para. 7).
- Ensure parental support. "Tutors need to coach parents on how to better
encourage good study habits and motivate their child's daily learning at home" (para.
8).
Gordon and his colleagues Ronald Morgan, Judith Ponticell, and Charles O'Malley
(2004) provide the same and additional advice in Tutoring Solutions for No
Child Left Behind: Research, Practice, and Policy Implications.
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Know the Purpose of the Test You Take! There are two kinds of
state tests describing student achievement and each has a different
purpose. Mark O'Shea (2005) provides the following important
difference between the two:
- Norm-referenced standardized tests are used "to compare the
performance of a student or group of students with the performance of a
population of other students,
typically a state or national population, [but] they serve no purpose in
measuring student achievement of the content of the standards."
- Criterion-referenced standards-based tests "measure the performance
of a student or a group of students in relation to skills and knowledge
of state standards and frameworks." This type of test is now used by
many states. (p. 41)
Understand Test Accommodations for Students with
Special Needs
Students with special needs such as those with
disabilities, limited English language and English language learners
also are subject to taking large-scale assessments, including
standardized tests. CTB/McGraw-Hill (2005) developed
Guidelines for Inclusive Test Administration to help educators
use appropriate test accommodations and then make valid and useful
interpretations for both criterion- and norm-referenced test scores.
Guidelines fall within three categories:
Category 1. "Category 1 accommodations are not
expected to influence student performance in a way that alters the
standard interpretation of either criterion- or norm-referenced test
scores. Individual student scores obtained using Category 1
accommodations should be interpreted in the same way as the scores of
other students who take the test under default conditions. These
students’ scores should be included in summaries of results without
notation of accommodation(s)" (p. 8). Examples: Students take the test
alone or in a study carrel, or have directions read aloud or recorded.
ELL might need bilingual directions. Some students might need to
give responses to a scribe or use sign language.
Category 2. "Category 2 accommodations may have an
effect on student performance that should be considered when
interpreting individual criterion- and norm-referenced test scores" (p.
9). Examples: Students are given extra time to complete a timed test.
ELL are given audiotaped test items provided in native language version
or a side-by-side bilingual test or translated version provided for
content other than Reading and Writing.
Category 3. "Category 3 accommodations are likely to
change what is being measured and have an effect that alters the
interpretation of individual criterion- and norm-referenced scores. This
occurs when the accommodation is strongly related to the knowledge,
skill, or ability being measured (e.g., the use of a Braille test where
not all items in the non-Braille version are administered in Braille)"
(p. 9). Example: Students are permitted to use calculators or
tables on a math computation test when the intention is to measure
computation skills without calculator use.
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See
other pages of the section on Math Web Resources and Standardized Test
Preparation: 