TAAS NARROWS FOCUS TO TEST TAKING, GETS POOR SAT SCORES \doc\web\98\07\taas2.txt Date sent: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 7:51:34 Subject: [education-consumers] TAAS Busters -- Texas To: "ClearingHouse" From: dggarner@swbell.net Send reply to: "ClearingHouse" ===================================================================== >From a teacher in an exemplary school district in Texas: Our TAAS-busters are in even worse shape than you imagine. I teach in an exemplary district. Although we have a TAAS passing rate above 90%, less than two percent of our graduates, only five students, scored at criterion (1111 Sat or 24 ACT) on college entrance exams in 1997. We are the only exemplary regular school district south of San Antonio, but our SAT/ACT scores are poor, even by south Texas standards. How do we do it? Not only have we narrowed our curricula to only that which is tested, we have given more emphasis to test-taking gimmicks than to academics. Instead of reading books, students in reading classes read sample TAAS passages. They number each paragraph, then number each line. Then they determine if the questions are "book" or "brain" questions. Book questions have answers that can be found in the selection, while brain questions require some thought. There are supposedly signals in the questions. For example, a question that asks for the main idea will have an answer that can be taken verbatim from the text. However, if the question asks for the main point, the answer will be a paraphrase. Students will spent an entire period reading one or two pages and answering five or six multiple-choice questions. In the math section students learn signal words. Total means add, less means subtract, among means multiply, etc. Students are then encouraged to draw pictures that represent the problem and then count. Some are encouraged to always draw and count rather than trust their memories of math facts. The strategies for the writing test are even stranger. Since many of the mistakes in the sentence combining section are comma splices, students are encouraged to match words in the underlined section of the passage with words in the answer choices. The choice that repeats most of the words found in the passage is likely to be the correct one. Students are also told to reject answer choices that begin with "ing" words (few of our students would understand the terms "gerund" and "participle") or words like "because" or "although". This advice is, of course, not based on the rules of English grammar, but rather on past TAAS trends. On test day, students are expected to spend at least three hours on each test, but the entire day is better. Those who don't finsh in seven may stay into the evening. Those who do not underline, highlight, match word in the passage with words in the answer choices, etc. have their tests returned and are told to show their "strategies" . . By timing the test, we would make it reflect real world reading, writing and computation, albeit at a very basic level. I have written Governor Bush, Senator Ratcliff, and all of the members of the SBEC asking that the TAAS at least be proctored and timed. As it is, the TAAS is not even valid as a basic skills test. Sen. Ratliff and all members of the SBEC ignored my letters. The Governor's office sent me a letter thanking me for my concern. ______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe, unsubscribe, opt for a daily digest, or start a new e-group at http://www.eGroups.com -- Free Web-based e-mail groups. ===================================================================== EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE networking and information for parents and taxpayers on the internet Subscriptions & Archives: http://education-consumers.com or You are currently subscribed to education-consumers as: arthurhu@halcyon.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to leave-education-consumers-989462S@lists.dundee.net ===================================================================== For less mail, click on the following link and choose 1) a daily digest, 2) a daily list of subjects, or 3) no mail (read postings on Web) http://lists.dundee.net/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=education-consumers For more help & info: http://www.lyris.com/help or f:\doc\web\98\07\taas2.txt Date sent: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 08:58:41 -0400 From: "Richard G. Innes" <70224.434@compuserve.com> Subject: [education-consumers] TAAS Busters -- Texas To: "ClearingHouse" Send reply to: "ClearingHouse" ===================================================================== The root message on this topic says: <> <> That is precisely the experience in Kentucky with our KIRIS test. <> As a note, it takes about 15 to 20 questions minimum to *begin* to form an accurate assessment of a student. This number holds true whether the questions are multiple choice or open response. So, in that full hour your Texas students are spending on the test, you are not getting enough data to form an accurate opinion of their ability and development. In other words, this is a wasted effort. (source for the 15 to 20 question reference is several reports available on the CRESST web site and discussion on pages 183 to 192 in "The Schools We Need, Why We Don't Have Them" by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. <> I can just imagine how a Texas student will get confused by a math question that asks them to pick the closest answer from *among* the following numbers. The question could deal with addition, subtraction, or statistics. The kid would be lost. Such questions might be edited out of the TAAS, but will an employment exam follow the same jargon rules? How about if the employer is from out of state? Drawing pictures isn't a bad technique for complex problems. But, if speed is important, it becomes a killer. In the real world, speed is often essential for math calculations (eg. military uses, aviation, emergency medical care, and so forth). Reference writing: <<...advice is, of course, not based on the rules of English grammar, but rather on past TAAS trends.>> Again, this is not training for life. <> The state of Kentucky yields the "size" issue to Texas, again. At least our testing only runs a couple of hours a day. I doubt even seniors can stay on target for a full day of testing. That is simply outrageous. So much for another reform-oriented testing program. Richard Innes ===================================================================== EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE networking and information for parents and taxpayers on the internet Subscriptions & Archives: http://education-consumers.com or You are currently subscribed to education-consumers as: arthurhu@halcyon.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to leave-education-consumers-989462S@lists.dundee.net ===================================================================== For less mail, click on the following link and choose 1) a daily digest, 2) a daily list of subjects, or 3) no mail (read postings on Web) http://lists.dundee.net/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=education-consumers For more help & info: http://www.lyris.com/help or