Comments on: “Why Rising Test Scores May Not Mean Increased Learning” http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/10/01/why-rising-test-scores-may-not-mean-increased-learning/ ...For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:45:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Nancy http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/10/01/why-rising-test-scores-may-not-mean-increased-learning/comment-page-1/#comment-6383 Nancy Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:41:07 +0000 http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=5521#comment-6383 How timely! We just spent a half-day in PD discussing data, specifically the test results on the English Language Arts state assessments. I was frankly stunned at the participants all agreeing what a wonderful job the district had done to raise our test scores from year 1 to year 2. HELLO!?!?!?! I asked that they consider the following possible scenarios: 1. Possible that year 2 assessments were easier. 2. Possible that students just became better 'test takers' as they progressed from grades 3 through 8. 3. Possible that the questions asked were better aligned with what was taught in the classrooms. What I wanted to see was not a general break-down by grades, but rather a break-down by student, and preferably over at least a three year time frame. What types of questions is the student consistently missing? Are the other students in that particular class missing the same types of questions? Are there types of questions that our district are missing that other districts are getting? How timely! We just spent a half-day in PD discussing data, specifically the test results on the English Language Arts state assessments. I was frankly stunned at the participants all agreeing what a wonderful job the district had done to raise our test scores from year 1 to year 2. HELLO!?!?!?!

I asked that they consider the following possible scenarios:
1. Possible that year 2 assessments were easier.
2. Possible that students just became better ‘test takers’ as they progressed from grades 3 through 8.
3. Possible that the questions asked were better aligned with what was taught in the classrooms.

What I wanted to see was not a general break-down by grades, but rather a break-down by student, and preferably over at least a three year time frame. What types of questions is the student consistently missing? Are the other students in that particular class missing the same types of questions? Are there types of questions that our district are missing that other districts are getting?

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