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Durham, NC 27701
1513 Confederate Avenue
Richmond, VA 23227
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 Welcome!
Welcome to the inaugural issue of the electronically published SPECTRUM. As some of you may remember, we at Burke-Little Educational Specialists originally published the hard cover newsletter professionally printed and sent in the mail. Now we finally enter the twenty-first century with the very efficient and updated method of electronic newsletters as we resume publishing SPECTRUM .
With the terrible incident of students being murdered and wounded on campus at Virginia Tech this spring, we are even more pressed by this incident to maintain a connectedness to you the families we have come so know so well. As far away as Singapore and Hong Kong and at our backdoor Charlottesville and Durham, you have shared with us lots of joys and disappointments. Thank you for your years of support and confidence in Burke-Little Educational Specialists, and we look forward to seeing your families grow and change over the years. SPECTRUM will provide a connectedness of us with you and your children.
Standardized testing has become a universal, sometimes abhorred practice in our society used for a myriad of purposes. We devote this issue of SPECTRUM to TESTING. Since many of you and your children are familiar with SOLs, EOGs, SATs, LSATs, GREs as well as the WISC, WAIS and WJR and even the MMPI and Rorschach, we feel you would appreciate a discussion of these tests and their importance. Probably there's not a single one of us who has not had to take a variety of standardized tests. Undoubtedly, tests will continue to play a role in our lives for assessment, placement, and treatment maybe even promotion and recognition. So are we going overboard with standardized testing? Have we become a society of too much testing? Is there value in spending this kind of time and money for information that we could assess in other ways?
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High Stakes Testing
Who Left This Child Behind?
The Revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001, commonly called the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), is touted as a comprehensive educational reform in the 21st Century. The responsibilities for each state in complying with this law are significant, and federal money is allocated for particular usage.
NCLB sets deadlines for states to expand the scope and frequency of student testing, revamp accountability systems, and guarantee that every teacher is highly qualified in the area they teach. The public criticism has been teachers are not doing their jobs, and some children have not received a quality education. So NCLB requires states to make demonstrable annual progress in raising the percentage of students proficient in reading and math and in narrowing of the test-score gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged students.
The law requires using teaching practices that are scientifically based The federal government provides funding in areas including K-3 reading programs and before and after school programs. NCLB demands accountability, assessment, and continued academic growth by students. This means NCLB intends to ensure that public education is a quality service to parents, the taxpayers, and most importantly to the students. The question is how is this carried out, by whom, and at what costs?
Critics feel that teachers are forced "to teach to the test." Currently math and reading are the most tested areas, thus social studies and science, even more so art and music may not be taught There is the concern that we in education are moving further and further away from the value of actually learning something than simply making the cut score and moving to the next level of expectation. With this higher expectation, there is more pressure on teachers to have children in their classroom pass the test. Teachers are oftentimes identified by the success of their end of grade tests. Promotions and teaching assignments are made based upon theses teachers' scores. In some states where bonus and incentive money is tied to test scores, there is undue pressure on teachers. In a critical time with teacher turnover and a severe shortage of teachers, teachers feel the stress of these tests.
NCLB is the shining political accomplishment of this current administration. This bipartisan pact on education is probably one of the few areas of consensus among politicians, and there will be far more contentions areas for sparring. It remains apparent that NCLB is here for a while. Assessment and accountability can be useful and necessary principles of good educational practices. Such systems need to be open to continued research and improvement. Parents and teachers need to empower themselves by acquiring knowledge about educational practices and assessment policies. Finally parents and teachers need to participate as NCLB is reviewed, scored, and revised... Without a global look at issues outside the school such as poverty, crime, mental health and more effort to solve those problems, we will continue to have a law that does in fact leave some children behind.
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The Psych-Ed Evaluation
When a student is having problems in school with academics or behavior, the first approach is a student academic success plan. After a time of trying strategies and modifications at school and at home, the next step may be a recommendation to conduct a comprehensive evaluation called a psych-ed evaluation. The minimum components of this evaluation consist of an aptitude or cognitive test and an achievement test. These tests are typically administered by a school psychologist or conducted privately.
The psychological evaluation is an intelligence test and measures cognitive ability. The two most commonly used tests are the Wechsler Scale of Intelligence for Children 6.5- 16.5 years old (WISC) and the Wechsler Scale of Adult Intelligence Scale for students over 16 years old. (WAIS).
The educational evaluation is an assessment of reading, writing, math, spelling, listening, and oral communication.. The most commonly administered individual achievement tests are the Woodcock-Johnson (WJR) or the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT).
For diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children, the most commonly used instrument/questionnaire is the Conner's Rating Scale.
Speech and language testing is sometimes administered when the student is having difficulties with language development or articulation. An occupational therapy evaluation may be done to determine fine motor, visual perception and sensory integration.
A neurological evaluation usually done outside the school may be conducted to gain a global picture to the child's approach to doing things based on patterns of strengths, weaknesses, and integrations among a range of neurological measures. This is a good way to diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivty Disorder, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, and non-verbal learning disabilities.
Personality tests are generally not a part of the standard psych-ed evaluation; however, they may be helpful in better understanding emotional and behavioral issues for the student. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is the most frequently used objective personality test for adults 18 years old and over and is comprised 567 true/false questions. The content scales are composed of 15 scales which address issues such as depression, anxiety, fears, compulsions, obsessions, acceptance of authority. The other commonly administered projective test is the Rorschach Inkblot Test which includes ten official inkblot tests which is used in diagnosing thought disorders.
The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) is given to individuals to determine level of substance usage. This may be helpful in determining need of counseling and substance abuse programs.
These tests are a snap shot at a particular time of response by a student. It is important to note there are factors that may affect the way students may respond such as fatigue, inattention, and carelessness. It is important to use a more broad based spectrum of evaluations when making diagnoses and suggesting programs and treatment.
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ACT or SAT?
Ten or twenty years ago, there was no reason to choose between the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and the ACT (American College Test) when preparing to apply to college. The SAT was required by colleges in the east and on the west coast for admission, and the ACT was required by colleges in the midwest. Now most colleges and universities all over the country will accept either test. There are probably no more than 12 colleges now which will accept only one and not the other test. Interestingly there are the Test Optional Schools that deemphasize the use of standardized testing for making admissions decisions and may look only at grade point average and class rank. .
The SAT and the ACT are both meant to test a student's knowledge of the fundamentals of a high school education in the United States. The writers of these two tests are guided by very different philosophies, and the two tests have different formats and test different subject matter. The SAT, the most widely taken test, is designed to test skill level in math, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. The ACT is designed to test skill level in English, math, reading, and science. These are some of the differences:
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The SAT tests critical thinking and problem solving skills.
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The ACT is a content or curriculum based test.
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The ACT has a science reasoning section.
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The ACT math section includes trigonometry.
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The SAT includes algebra II and geometry.
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The SAT tests vocabulary much more than the ACT.
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The SAT is not entirely multiple choice.
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The SAT has a guessing penalty.
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The ACT tests English grammar.
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The SAT includes an essay.
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The SAT always has a non-scored experimental section.
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The ACT randomly has an experimental section.
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The ACT has a "score choice."
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All the SAT scores are sent to a college.
Depending upon a student's strengths and weaknesses, the ACT or the SAT may be the better test. Regardless, it is important to check the school to find out which test, if any, is required for admission. If a student is qualified for testing accommodations such as extended time, it is important to use those modifications on either the SAT or ACT.
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Test Prep Classes
In general, there is positive press on the use of a prep class before taking the SAT, ACT, GRE, or LSAT. It makes sense that familiarity with the standardized test is a benefit to most test takers, and there are many test prep companies ready to help students each year. The biggest companies such as Kaplan and Princeton Review guarantee their students improved test scores with serious participation by the student. There are several principles of these prep classes:
- There is an opportunity to take a diagnostic test to determine which areas a student may need help.
- Students work with competent instructors on those areas of weakness.
- Students gain a familiarity with the style of the test and the types of questions asked.
- Students learn strategies for test taking.
- Students learn time management skills for pacing oneself during the test.
Too often, it is the parent who wants the student to take the prep class which is after school, around ball practice or free time, or even on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. A student may have much less enthusiasm about this kind of preparation than the parent. By the time a senior is in college, or looking to go to law school or graduate school, the student may take the course a bit more seriously. | |
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Burke-Little & Associates, Inc.