| It's important to remember tests are a great learning tool.
You should have students evaluate their returned classroom tests
to see where they need work. Also, look at last year's standardized
test scores and note any relationships to your curriculum.
In my case, I noted since teaching the Constitution early
in the year, my students did not do as well when they took
the state test near the school year's end. I didn't want to
change my curriculum because it is centered on the Constitution.
So, I had students develop an encyclopedia of terms when we
covered the founding fathers, and they used this to review
later in the year. No muss, no fuss, and it was an integrated
learning experience. The scores at our school, without any
changes to the way we teach, were among the highest in the
state. And we have three minority populations.
How I improve test scores
Over the years, my students have done exceptionally well
in tests and competitions. The reason is twofold: I teach
students how to write test questions so they know how to read
them during tests, and I study the material to be tested.
It does not take a Ph.D. to realize all the proper nouns in
any state standard are the key. No question can be written
without using these nouns if the test covers the standards.
Now, some tests do not cover the standards, and for that,
learning to read the questions is the most important element.
As an old coach, you practice the way you play. For a teacher
the same applies. If you test the students with the same format
as the exam, they feel more comfortable. In addition, I also
make sure every student knows the test's importance. I have
frequently read and heard about students who simply do not
care and make no attempt to do well. Finally, make sure you
cover the material for the slower learners. They hold the
key to improving school test scores.
Assessment resources online
The following resources cover a wide range of topics related
to assessment. It is a comprehensive list, but if you know
of other valuable resources, please e-mail me through the
site. Or, e-mail me if you'd like to know more about how I
improve test scores.
-- Alan Haskvitz
No Child Left Behind
George Bush's No Child Left Behind law is the biggest news
and concern for educators and prospective educators. Carried
to its full extent, it sets specific criteria for determining
whether a teacher is "highly qualified." Every state
helps define this benchmark, so it's important to check the
sites below to find out what your state requires.
Please note the legislation does not care if you are an effective
teacher or whether your students have done well. In most cases,
it just requires you to have a content major or a master's
degree or to pass an assessment in each content area you teach.
The law states school districts must notify parents of children
in classes with teachers who have not been designated highly
qualified. So you need to check with your superintendent to
find out the requirements.
AFT
on NCLB: State-by-state Resources
Find out how many students in your state will be directly affected by the underfunding of NCLB.
AFT's
Position on NCLB
Education
Commission of the States
View status of each state.
Education
Commission of the States - No Child Left Behind
Education
World: No Child Left Behind
Educator's
Resource Center: Assessment & Achievement
This site offers some good resources to explain NCLB and assist
educators.
FairTest
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing advocates
to end the abuses, misuses and flaws of standardized testing
and to ensure fair, open and educationally sound student and
worker evaluation.
Legislative Action Center AFT's Legislative Action Center - NCLB Watch
A list of current resources about the legislation and its
impact
National Assessment
Governing Board
This group sets policies for the National Assessment of Educational
Progress, commonly known as "The Nation's Report Card."
NCLB:
A Toolkit for Teachers
NCLB:
A Toolkit for Teachers PDF
NEA: 'NCLB'
Act/ESEA
NEA
Resources (NCLB)
No
Child Left Behind: A Desktop Reference
No
Child Left Behind
This is the main government page explaining this act.
No Child Left Behind and your home
Public
Law 107-110 Jan. 8, 2002
Get a copy of the law.
Questions
and Answers on NCLB
Teachers
& What the NCLB Requirements Mean to You
An Internet hotlist on teaching and No Child Left Behind
Wrights
Law: No Child Left Behind
[ Top of page ]
Types of student assessment and
testing
Assessment
Resources
For many of the subject areas
California
Education and Testing Issues
More than you need to know, but plenty you should know about
testing in California; applicable to all states.
Education
and Testing
Information on many states and national standards
FairTest:
Criterion- and Standards-Referenced Tests
What are the differences?
The
Big List on Assessment
Teacher/Pathfinder
Home: Schoolhouse: Assessment
A page of links to other websites on assessment
Teaching
Backgrounder: Types of Assessment
[ Top of page ]
Accommodations
Appropriate
Accommodations for English Language Learners
From the New Mexico State Department of Educational Assessment
and Evaluation Unit
Authentic
Assessment Toolbox
Visit this how-to hypertext on creating authentic tasks, rubrics
and standards for measuring and improving student learning.
ESL
Games and Quiz Corner
Free classroom games including quiz games, card games and
classic language games, plus more than 800 ESL quiz questions.
All materials are printer-friendly.
Interesting
Things for ESL Students
National
Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy
The board monitors tests for appropriate use and technical
adequacy and focuses primarily on high-stakes tests for students,
teachers and schools.
Types
of Assessment Accommodation
This index lists each type of assessment accommodation, timing,
scheduling, setting, presentation, response and many aspects
of each. The articles concerning each accommodation include
a description, procedure and list of potential problems.
Understanding
Tests and Measurements for the Parent and Advocate
Questions about testing LD students
What
is Meant by Accomodations
[ Top of page ]
Rubrics
Assessment
and Rubric Related Links
Automating
Authentic Assessment with Rubrics
Creating
Rubrics Through Negotiable Contracting and Assessment
From The Interactive Classroom
Designing
a Rubric
Just
What Is a Rubric?
One
Solution: The Rubric
PowerPoint
Rubric
Project
#38 - Peer Review & Rubrics
Rubistar
Rubric
for Evaluation
Rubric
Template
Try this web-based template for creating rubrics.
Rubrics
This link will take you to a collection of all kinds of rubrics.
Rubrics
and Evaluation Resources
Ruminating
on Rubrics
Teacher
Helpers: Assessment & Rubric Information
The
Teachers Internet Use Guide - Step 1 (Standards & Expectations)
Teach-Nology:
Rubric, Rubrics Makers
Understanding
Rubrics
Web
Page Design
Writing
an Invention/Inventor Report (Plus a Rubric)
Writing
Rubric
Elaborate
[ Top of page ]
Student portfolio assessment
ERIC
Digests & Bibliographies
Guidelines
for Portfolio Assessment in Teaching English
Portfolio
Assessment
A brief description
Quest
- Portfolio Assessment
[ Top of page ]
Online quizzes and tests, puzzle
makers and test-making sites
About
PSAT/NMSQT
Page discusses the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test,
the preliminary SAT. It includes sample verbal, math and writing
skills.
AllTheTests.com
Design and publish your own quiz.
Barbarian's
Online Test Page
Churchill
House Assessment Test
Have your students take grammar and vocabulary assessment
tests to see where they can improve. Grading is done online.
Computer
Terms and Trivia Quiz
Computer history
Constitution
Study Guide
Culture
& Heritage French Quiz
Take this test and see if you are an "expert" on
French culture!
Dinosaurs
Quiz
Online game
Discovery
School's Puzzlemaker
Free puzzles
Discovery
School's Worksheet Generator
Takes words or paragraphs and quickly turns them into a worksheet
Dyslexia
A sample from Test 7-16
E.L.
Easton - The Language Classroom
Great site -- go to it for language tests; try the classroom
management site too.
E.L.
Easton Pronunciation
This site has audio, with patterns, exercises and quizzes
for American English.
Famous
Cats Quiz
Online game
Fun
with Fire Engines Activity
Look at the fire engines, and guess which are alike and which
are different.
Fun
with Hats Activity
Look at the funny hats, and guess which are alike and which
are different.
Geographical
Superlatives
Geography
Quizzes
Find quizzes for testing your geography knowledge; flags and
capitals quiz maps.
Jefferson
Lab: Science, Math and Technology Practice Tests
Jigsawland.com
Learn
2 Type Typing Test
Matching
Quiz of Commonly-Heard Proverbs
MathPuzzle.com
1001-periodic-table-quiz-questions.com
Plagiarism
and How to Avoid It Self-test
Have students test themselves.
The
Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers
Presidents'
Day Quiz (ESL)
PSAT
and SMQT tests
Site answers common questions about the Preliminary Scholastic
Achievement Test.
Puzzle
Choice
Quiz
Hub
A collection of interactive quizzes and educational games
Quiz Lab
Students can quiz from pre-selected tests (grade level and
subject). Tests are e-mailed to you. Check out the 30-day
free trial.
Quizland
Great site for online quizzing and quiz links -- fairly entertaining
SAT
and ACT Online Practice
A
Spelling Test
Take A Quiz
Test your trivia knowledge in a quiz game for prizes. Contests
and games test your memory in many different categories, including
sports, movies, television, history and much more.
TakeSAT.com
Review practice questions and common SAT words.
Test
Your Geography Knowledge
TOEFL
Practice for the TOEFL test.
Triv.net
Quizzes based on 'Millionaire,' so questions range from easy
to very hard. Thousands of questions on all general knowledge
categories.
Typing
Master Online Test
USA
State Map/Quiz Printouts
Handy collection of maps and quizzes of states, regions and
flags
Vocabulary
Training Exercises
Take a pop quiz in French, German or Spanish; it's similar
to working with flash cards. You can also quiz yourself in
specialized subjects.
Water
Resources of the United States -Info for Students and Teachers
Find a Q&A, posters, glossary and environmental links.
Web
Research Guide: Internet Expert Guide
Test on how well you know the Internet
Where
is That?
World
Flags Quiz
From Surfing the Net with Kids
[ Top of page ]
Assessment research
Abstracts
of Curriculum Framework and Content Standards Projects
Assessment
Research on how to use assessment to support learning and
school reform and the best ways to report results
Assessment
types - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Awesome
Library - Assessment Information
Awesome
Library -- Standards
Buros
Institute: Test Reviews Online
A very useful site, it has the rundown on thousands of standardized
tests.
Creating
Better Student Assessments
From "Improving America's Schools: A Newsletter on Issues
in School Reform"
Designing
Performance Assessments: Challenges for the Three-Story Intellect
Developing
Educational Standards
A listing by state and subject matter
Educational
Resources Information Center
The
Effects of Instructional Rubrics on Learning to Write
Grade
Inflation: What's Really Behind All Those As?
Handbook
of Kindergarten-Primary Assessment Tools
High
Stakes -- Testing for Tracking, Promotion and Graduation
Improving
America's Schools - A Newsletter on Issues in School Reform
Research on assessment from government archives
Inside
the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment
An article dealing with formative assessment
Objective
Analyst
Standardized assessment or standards-based assessment?
Online
Resources for Assessment
A well-rounded list of assessment sites for design and implementation
Planning
and Evaluation Service of the U.S. Department of Education
Find a primer on evaluation. This office coordinates strategic
planning and program performance reporting across the Department
of Education.
Specific
Student Assessment Techniques
Statewide
Assessment: Policy Issues & Questions
Article provides questions parents and parent organizations
can address in an effort to ensure statewide assessment systems
fully and fairly include students with disabilities.
What
Are Promising Ways to Assess Student Learning?
From Improving America's Schools: A Newsletter on Issues in
School Reform
What
the Research Says about Student Assessment
[ Top of page ]
Test preparation
resources
Afraid of the big bad test? Take and survive a test.
Help
Your Child Improve in Test-Taking
Instructional
Intranet - Chicago Public Schools
Prepare
for Tests
Middle school general test prep information
Study
Aide Suggestions
There are basic strategies available to help those who are
test phobic, and this page outlines 20.
Survey
of Test-taking Strategies
Try to help your students understand why they missed a question.
Give them this survey -- most helpful.
Tips
for Taking Multiple-choice Tests
[ Top of page ]
General information
sites
These sites relate to institutions active in teacher assessment
and education.
American Association
of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Consortium
for Policy Research (CPRE): Teacher Compensation
Project identifies alternative salary approaches to enhance
teaching and student achievement and to reward teachers for
success.
Education Commission
of the States
National
Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification
NASDTEC represents professional standards boards and commissions
responsible for the preparation and licensure of educational
personnel.
National Commission
on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF)
NCTAF's goal is to improve teacher education.
National
Conference of State Legislatures: Teacher Quality
NCSL tracks and analyzes legislation on teacher issues.
National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
NCATE is the professional accrediting organization for U.S.
schools, colleges and departments of education. I am an evaluator
for this organization in social studies.
Skilled
Leadership the Key to Improving Test Scores, Study Says
[ Top of page ]
Teacher assessment
resources
AACTE
Education Policy Clearinghouse -- Teacher Quality Research
Research on measurement devices used to evaluate teachers
Evaluating
Your Own Teaching
Fundamental
Assessment Principles for Teachers and School Administrators
Integrating
Testing with Teaching
From the electronic journal, "Practical Assessment, Research
& Evaluation"
Preparing
New Teachers for the Challenges of Today's Classrooms
From the U.S. Department of Education
Teacher
Assessment and Professional Development
Teacher
Assessment Rubric for Student Research Module
Teacher
Performance Assessment
Check the system of Newport News Public Schools.
Teacher
Portfolio Assessment
WestEd
Assessment
WestEd creates resource materials in assessment design and
tests that measure teacher and student performance.
[ Top of page ]
Authentic assessment
Authentic
Assessment in Mathematics
Teachervision:
Authentic Assessment Overview
[ Top of page ]
Electronic portfolios
The
Collaboratory ePortfolio
Electronic portfolio example
The
Digital Portfolio: A Richer Picture of Student Performance
Digital
Portfolios
Using
Technology to Support Alternative Assessment and Electronic
Portfolios
[ Top of page ]
What research
says about teacher assessment
An
Introduction to Program Evaluation for Classroom Teachers
Online
Resources for Assessment
[ Top of page ]
Assessment LISTSERVs
To sign up or to learn more about these various listservs,
send emails or click on the following addresses:
listserv@scinfo.sc.maricopa.edu
mailserv@lists.cua.edu
ncte-talk@serv1.ncte.org>
American Educational Research Association
To subscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@ASU.EDU with the
following command in the body of the message: SUB AERA-D.
Assessment of Writing
To subscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.LOUISVILLE.EDU
with the following command in the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE
ASSESS-W.
EVALTALK
To subscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@UA1VM.UA.EDU with
the following command in the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE
EVALTALK YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLAST NAME (replacing YOURFIRSTNAME
and YOURLASTNAME with your first and last names).
Portfolios
To subscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@HENSON.CC.KZOO.EDU
with the following command in the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE
PORTFOLIO-L.
Qualitative Research Issues
To subscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
with the following command in the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE
QUALRS-L.
Assessment
Resource Center: Discuss Assessment
Educational
Assessment
NCATE
Assessment@LISTSERVE.MILLERSVILLE.EDU
[ Top of page ]
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