Show i ili Nu NuDy By fly Dr Wayne Reid Superintendent What students students- Testing parents parents' should know CAT SAT GATE etc all ring familiar to the student who is snowed under by academic testing Many MallY people claim cultural bias irrelevancy poor assortments and other excuses as to why testing should not be given their youngster Perhaps we simply need to bow our necks and decided that the best idea is to help teach our youngsters the correct way to encounter these examinations SI SEVERAL VERAL research grants are now in full swing to develop programs to help youth take these tests Parents and students can benefit from the results of their surveys It doesn't matter if its it's a test for first graders or graduate students all standardized tests have four basic types of questions ie i.e. main idea questions detail questions vocabulary questions inference questions Main Idea Questions ask something like What is the best title for this paragraph or what is the authors author's main point Detail Questions ask for a specific piece of information contained in the preceding paragraph Vocabulary Questions give you a word followed by a set of multiple choice responses INFERENCE Questions are arc the most difficult but you youcan youcan youcan can get a child to recognize this type immediately by teaching him key words and phrases such as probably might most likely These questions offer choices something like Johnny probably loves loves' loves his his dog doesn't like his dog wants to harm his dog The information is not specifically in the preceding paragraph but the is answer the one with the word probably thing is Is' toli to teach the child two fundamental things First how to recognize those four types of questions so they know immediately what they're being asked This is very important Second we show them a strategy for each type of test question On the Detail Question you teach them to read the answer- answer choices and then go back and find the appropriate selection in inthe inthe inthe the preceding paragraph It will willbe willbe willbe be there-practically there verbatim- verbatim every time because that's the nature of this type of question With an Inference Question you teach them to recognize first what is being asked and second this formula formula formula for for- mula Based on the information in the paragraph which answer is most definitely true There should be questions you teach your child to ask before taking a test such as Am I penalized for for guessing If theres there's no penalty you teach the child to go through the test and answer carefully all the questions he can and then to goback goback go goback back and guess on every remaining one ANOTHER important thing is for parents to inspire their children with a sense that they're out to beat the test Theres There's an attitude some students develop that tests are going to show how stupid he is Theres There's an aura of authority about a test that makes a lot of kids unsuccessful at taking tests Try to get your child to believe that he hc can really Sock it to the tests You'd be surprised sur stir how important this kind of attitude altitude is Take advantage of that test You can beat that test I 1 Again it does us no good to react unfavorably to standardized standardized stan scan testing These tests are likely to stay because became they are convenient The latest Gallup poll shows that that that-by by a margin of two to one-every one segment of the US U.S. population believes the test score decline accurately reflects a corresponding decline in the quality of education The American i people do not share the skepticism of many national educators about the significance of standardized tests The public and majority of school board members haven't bought the stol story that these tests are biased unreliable and aM too expensive The public wants an objective indication of what's what in school There Isa isa is isa a longing for someone else tote to tel tell te us how our school system stacks up against another And finally the news media will accept nothing more than simple minded indication of whether schools are good or bad bed Therefore it behooves us as parents to make certain our children know how to take these exams Many pamphlets and paperbacks are available in larger book stores specifically designed for this reason For as much as is at stake in the future lives of our bur children we should all put forth an effort It will likewise help them in taking their school exams SPEAKING of testing here are 3 questions that were asked of 17 years olds in the functional literacy test administered by bythe bythe bythe the National Assessment of Educational Progress See how your high school or junior high school students do dot I 1 You want to call Mr Jones on the telephone You look in the telephone book for his number You would find it between which names a. a Jackson and Jacobs b. b Jacobs and James c. c James and Johnson d. d Johnson and Judson e. e Judson and Justus Almost 10 percent of all 17 year olds who were quizzed missed the answer d 2 Ill be glad when this TV show is over I like stories about spies not this one about cowboys and Indians I get to pick the next show The person who said this a. a likes spy stories b. b doesn't like TV at all c c. c doesn't care what TV show is on d. d likes stories about cowboys and Indians all aU students were wre to t correct an i 1 saver ati 3 Students were shown a 43 word sentence that read in part The ABC bug spray kills- kills spiders roaches ants and most other crawling insects They were asked Which of the following will probably NOT be killed by this spray-ants spray caterpillars flies roaches spiders Almost 16 percent were unable to give the correct answer answer answer an an- flies Ed Ed Note For those parents who feel these tests are stupid drop by the superintendents superintendent's office pick one up and test yourself no cheating now |