Putting the technology to work
The Edison schools in Philadelphia have developed computer labs and are now giving standardized tests on computer. I've always been supportive of this idea, because it can shorten the test turnaround time, is more engaging for kids, and can be cheaper to administer, thus addressing three criticisms often leveled at standardized tests. The article is pretty positive on the subject:
[Regional technical director for Edison Schools David] Vasconez said that when Edison arrived at Potter-Thomas, which is in an impoverished area of Kensington, the "computer lab" was infested with roaches and the old computers were "all over the place." Making [computerized testing program] Benchmarks operational required retrofitting rooms, inputting student data, linking networks, and waiting for the district to do electrical work in many buildings. As Vasconez watched the students work last week, he said the physical transformation symbolized the potential of Benchmarks to change teaching and learning.
"We have a saying in Edison," he said. "Benchmarks don't lie." What they do is allow teachers to track students' monthly progress on the very types of questions and skills they will be expected to master on year-end standardized tests. So when fifth grader Princilla Rosado finished her language arts test last Wednesday, she knew immediately that she had gotten 40 percent of the questions right and that she was good at editing sentences but not so good at composing them.
And minutes after Princilla and her classmates left the room, Vasconez fired up his laptop and received a report. As it turned out, 40 percent was the class average. And he could see, for example, that only 19 percent correctly answered a question that measures understanding of literary devices. A teacher could click on the "19 percent" and immediately see how many students chose each answer - giving valuable information on the nature of their misunderstanding.
This is a rich source of data for teachers and students, and this kind of feedback should be very useful - for teachers who are willing to participate. The teachers' union continues to fight the amount of meeting time that the Edison system requires, but individual teachers appear to be very pleased with the computerized testing system.
Posted by kswygert at December 20, 2002 11:26 AM