A testing opponent from the Far North battles on:
A long-time opponent of standardized achievement tests recently took his fight to the highest rung of Alberta’s education system, but Wayne Hampton isn’t hopeful that change is forthcoming. Hampton, principal of Lacombe Upper Elementary School, met with Education minister Gene Zwozdesky and several aides in Edmonton on April 15, to discuss the merits of Alberta’s Provincial Achievement Testing program (PATs)--a series of standardized multiple-choice tests given to students in grades 3, 6 and 9. A decision to expand the testing program to Grade 4 remains undecided."It’s been a very tough battle," said Hampton, who has long opposed PATs, believing they "stifle creativity and measure what’s easy rather than what’s important." He presented similar views to the Alberta Commission on Learning in 2002 and to numerous educational conferences and gatherings with parents.
"Some believe that assessment is a whole lot more than giving a kid a multiple-choice test," he said.
I agree that assessment can, and probably should, be more than that. And while I don't believe that multiple-choice exams by definition stifle creativity, I give Hampton credit for opposing the test on the grounds that the items are too easy, and not because (as we often see here) some bogus claims that certain types of students cannot possibly understand them.
Here's the website for the PATs . I took a look at the Grade 6 Math items. There are only 80 multiple-choice items, and for 50 of them, examinees can use calculators. The blueprint does not look very difficult at all (though kudos to them for introducing stats at this level).
I have to admit, this part makes me a tad suspicious:
Students who meet the acceptable standard have a positive attitude about mathematics and a sense of personal competence in using mathematics in their daily lives. They demonstrate confidence when using common mathematical procedures and when applying problem-solving strategies in familiar settings.
Is the implication here that students who are at a certain level can be assumed to think positively about math? Or is the deal that (oh, no) getting students to be "positive" about math is a goal of the exam, and is directly measured in some way on the test? Seeing phrases like "positive attitudes" and "confidence" snuck into the actual standards makes me think there's some fluffy "self-esteem" aspect being considered here, with the student's feelings about math being considered as important as their skills.
Hampton may be on to something.
Posted by kswygert at May 4, 2005 03:06 PM