Poet can't answer standardized test ?s on own poem

[RoxMonster]

I found this so interesting, as a high school teacher who is tasked with preparing students for our tests (PARCC for the last two years and now the SAT). It brings up many of the same concerns I have, and I loved hearing these thoughts from one of the authors used on the tests.


www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/01/07/poet-i-cant-answer-questions-on-texas-standardized-tests-about-my-own-poems/?tis=sm_fb&utm_term=.9d44e8e3d77e

Excerpt:

"One teacher wrote to me last month, working after 10 p.m., trying to figure out the test maker’s interpretation of my poem “Midnight.”....Only guess what? The test prep materials neglected to insert the stanza break. I texted him an image of how the poem appeared in the original publication. Problem one solved. But guess what else? I just put that stanza break in there because when I read it aloud (I’m a performance poet), I pause there. Note: that is not an option among the answers because no one ever asked me why I did it."

[Deleted]

Damn, that was awesome.

Standardized testing is the antithesis of poetry, and probably the worst way to assess anyone's comprehension of it.

[bronxgirl]

I saw this on FB the other day and thought it was spot-on to what's happening in school s. My second grader, who is an excellent reader, just got my bed down a level that n reading because of these type of shenanigans.

[killercupcake]

This isn't the point but... The test coordinator in me is freeeeeaking out for that teacher who copied the test question. They can get in so much trouble.

[janetplanet20]

I read this a few days ago and was nodding in agreement the whole time. I used to teach 7th and 8th grade ELA and social studies and there were always questions that my colleagues and I wondered why the answer was the answer. The test makers just pick some piece of text that's inexpensive to use and make up stupid questions many times.
I teach 2nd grade now, so no SBAC testing thank god, but we do have benchmark testing three times a year.

[nsl]

I taught high school English in Texas for nine years, and this take-down is exactly what I've always wanted to read. STAAR replaced the far easier TAKS, which also wasn't perfect, but STAAR is so ridiculous that I'd throw up my hands at times over test questions and answers that seemed to either make no sense at all or be purposely designed to confuse students. Since you cannot graduate from high school in Texas unless you pass several of these exams, we'd spend 6+ weeks every year doing nothing but STAAR prep, making the test's flaws even more maddening when you consider the other cool, engaging, useful things we could have been teaching that would have actually prepared our students for the next grade level/college.

[nsl]

Jan 8, 2017 16:59:48 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

This isn't the point but... The test coordinator in me is freeeeeaking out for that teacher who copied the test question. They can get in so much trouble.

Benchmarks (which the teacher copied) are district assessments in Texas.  It sounds like the district used a previously published STAAR as their benchmark, which is why the teacher was allowed to look at the test at all. 

 
Save

[janetplanet20]

Jan 8, 2017 17:01:59 GMT -5 nsl said:

I taught high school English in Texas for nine years, and this take-down is exactly what I've always wanted to read. STAAR replaced the far easier TAKS, which also wasn't perfect, but STAAR is so ridiculous that I'd throw up my hands at times over test questions and answers that seemed to either make no sense at all or be purposely designed to confuse students. Since you cannot graduate from high school in Texas unless you pass several of these exams, we'd spend 6+ weeks every year doing nothing but STAAR prep, making the test's flaws even more maddening when you consider the other cool, engaging, useful things we could have been teaching that would have actually prepared our students for the next grade level/college.

Yes!! I haaaaate that test makers put in answers purposely designed to confuse students. I feel that is unfair-they're being set up to fail, not succeed.

[killercupcake]

Jan 8, 2017 17:04:06 GMT -5 janetplanet20 said:

Jan 8, 2017 17:01:59 GMT -5 nsl said:

I taught high school English in Texas for nine years, and this take-down is exactly what I've always wanted to read. STAAR replaced the far easier TAKS, which also wasn't perfect, but STAAR is so ridiculous that I'd throw up my hands at times over test questions and answers that seemed to either make no sense at all or be purposely designed to confuse students. Since you cannot graduate from high school in Texas unless you pass several of these exams, we'd spend 6+ weeks every year doing nothing but STAAR prep, making the test's flaws even more maddening when you consider the other cool, engaging, useful things we could have been teaching that would have actually prepared our students for the next grade level/college.

Yes!! I haaaaate that test makers put in answers purposely designed to confuse students. I feel that is unfair-they're being set up to fail, not succeed.

Last summer, we held proficiency tutoring for non-grads. We had to teach them to read the question first and then search for the answer in the passages for this reason. They're confusing. They offer too much information and the answers are not clear.

[janetplanet20]

Jan 8, 2017 17:10:39 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

Jan 8, 2017 17:04:06 GMT -5 janetplanet20 said:

Yes!! I haaaaate that test makers put in answers purposely designed to confuse students. I feel that is unfair-they're being set up to fail, not succeed.

Last summer, we held proficiency tutoring for non-grads. We had to teach them to read the question first and then search for the answer in the passages for this reason. They're confusing. They offer too much information and the answers are not clear.

Yeah, when I taught middle school I did something similar. We'd practice reading the question and then scanning the passage for the answer. We outright told our kids not to read the whole passage unless they couldn't otherwise answer the question.

And that's my antecdotal evidence that these tests test test taking skills, not reading comprehension.

[redheadk]

Jan 8, 2017 17:03:05 GMT -5 nsl said:

Jan 8, 2017 16:59:48 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

This isn't the point but... The test coordinator in me is freeeeeaking out for that teacher who copied the test question. They can get in so much trouble.

Benchmarks (which the teacher copied) are district assessments in Texas.  It sounds like the district used a previously published STAAR as their benchmark, which is why the teacher was allowed to look at the test at all. 

 
Save

Yes, released questions are fair game. I was required to use them when writing CBAs/DBAs for my district and teachers were not allowed to use them in the classroom before students took the CBAs. SaveSave

[killercupcake]

Jan 8, 2017 17:56:02 GMT -5 redheadk said:

Jan 8, 2017 17:03:05 GMT -5 nsl said:

Benchmarks (which the teacher copied) are district assessments in Texas.  It sounds like the district used a previously published STAAR as their benchmark, which is why the teacher was allowed to look at the test at all. 

 
Save

Yes, released questions are fair game. I was required to use them when writing CBAs/DBAs for my district and teachers were not allowed to use them in the classroom before students took the CBAs. SaveSave

Yeah, I'm glad these were released questions. I was thinking they were still on the test and my palms started sweating thinking about irregularities. Ugh. Lol