\doc\web\97\09\stchar.txt
From:             Redyarrow@aol.com
Date sent:        Thu, 6 Nov 1997 00:46:30 -0500 (EST)
Subject: St. Charles, Illinois finally develops tests that will show
student growth


  Ever since eight or nine years ago when the St. Charles, Illinois School
District threw out the  curriculum and implemented changes which even their
early literature described as "pathbreaking" and "revolutionary", there's
been one major problem.  The students' test scores keep dropping.  Even
though the school district has explained to parents that the IGAPs and
achievement tests don't test all the wonderful critical thinking skills that
our students are learning,  the district has found it difficult to respond
when our parents' organization points out the decreased test scores.  


The curriculum director had been telling the community and school board that
assessments reflecting the students' new sophisticated skills would be
developed.   Handouts at board meetings have revealed thousands of dollars
spent on consultants to develop these assessments. Frankly, I had decided
that if the assessments weren't developed after eight years, they probably
never would see the light of day.  Several times, I have pointed out to the
school board that the assessments should have been developed before the money
spent and the constructivist curriculum  adopted.  


This week the good news came.  Finally, the school district has developed
performance assessments which will show our student's progress.  A mother who
still has one child in the schools provided me with a description of the
assessments.The district has always talked about group assessment, so we can
only assume that these are group projects.   These have
everything......everything except for objectivity, validity, reliability,
academic focus, etc. etc.  The new assessments which will be given to our
students are so poorly designed I have a hard time believing that whoever
wrote them takes them seriously.  I'll include the description sent home to
parents and the commentary of the parent who passed them on to me.  Grade 2
is misleading, because the second description actually sounds rigorous.  Read
on past that one. The pattern these past years has been that whatever St.
Charles School District does, so do a myriad of other districts two or three
years later. Cheers.  Mary
Subj:	 Benchmark Assessments
Date:	97-11-05 15:25:26 EST
From:	JNUGENT1@ix.netcom.com (John Nugent)
To:	Redyarrow@aol.com


So here they are.  We've been waiting for these assessments half a decade.  I
can only wonder how much money was spent on development.  If parents in this
district accept these assessments as meaningful, then we will  continue to
get exactly what we deserve. The district describes performance based
assessments as multi-task projects students must complete that demonstrate
skills and knowledge. 
I think what is very evident in these types of assessment is that the
students will be evaluated in a group environment.  I do not see these tasks
as being executed individually, with the exception of the 4th grade
assessment.  I'm sure this individual task will be interpreted as bringing
balance of individual vs. group activities.  The following is directly from
district literature.


GRADE 2
I CAN Make a Difference
	Students examine and propose solutions to a recycling problem.
(Science....environment)


Great Americans
	Students study and write about an important person in American history.
(Social Studies....biographical 	resources...contributions of individuals)


GRADE 4
My Wellness-My LIfe
	Students study their own health habits and compare to healthy guidelines.
(Wellness..personal practices
	compared to standards)


GRADE 5
Paper Towel Testing
	Students experiment on different brands and make a recommendation on the
best buy. (Science.....
	experimental design)


Gold Rush
	Students plan a travel route, mine gold, experience supply vs. demand and
news writing. (Social Studies 	historical perspective)


GRADE 8
A Problem Resurfaces
	Students identify an unknown toxic substance and create a plan for removing
it. (Science...environment)


The Decision (Atomic Bomb)
	Students study and analyze documents to make a recommendation to the
President. (Social Studies...	analysis of perspectives)


GRADE 10
Wellness Case Study
	On role of personal trainers, students study and make recommendations for a
client. (Wellness....	analysis of practices and recommendations)


Land Use Project
	Students study the legal/environmental factors and design a plan for a
chemical corporation relocation. (Science...environment)


GRADE 11
The Case of David Harris
	Students analyze and debate pros and cons of the draft. (Social
Studies...analysis of perspectives)