tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post114497273631552545..comments2023-07-10T06:14:33.273-04:00Comments on Teaching Montessori: Grant Wiggins and OprahUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-1145414781005380412006-04-18T22:46:00.000-04:002006-04-18T22:46:00.000-04:00So the debate about assessment continues. I agree...So the debate about assessment continues. I agree that the public education system is perhaps in the process of failing our students but do not necessarily agree that it is due to standardized tests. Let's look at our very own NYS high school exams. Exams like the Regents were put into place to standardize curriculum so that students were being taught the same material. A system of checks and balances if you will and yet at first they were only considered to be for the higher achieving students. In recent years the Regents exams have undergone great change so that they not only address the standards that all students should be expected to reach but also expect students to have a basic understanding of content which is not based on rote memorization but rather critcal thinking. These tests keep not only students in check but teachers as well. But of course the question is should we base the success of our students on a standards/content based exam? Of course not but tests do have a value when used properly in a classroom. Tests are very useful as a tool for the teacher to get a grasp on how much a student really understands and can apply the material covered in class. They are especially useful if the teacher can determine the common errors students make and misconceptions students have about what has been covered. Tests can also point out to the teacher were her/his weaknesses might have been in covering a particular unit/topic/theme. As has been written by Grant Wiggins in the recent issue of Edutopia feedback is essential after giving a test and allows students to discover their own weaknesses. Should they be the basis of student sucess? No,but neither should they be considered an absolute evil. They should be used in conjuction with project based work, which when done properly, is so much more difficult for students to do well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-1145414316579042412006-04-18T22:38:00.000-04:002006-04-18T22:38:00.000-04:00So the debate about assessment continues. I agree...So the debate about assessment continues. I agree that the public education system is perhaps in the process of failing our students but I do not necessarily agree that it is due to standardized tests. Let's look at our very own NYS high school exams. Exams like the Regents were put into place to standardize curriculum so that students were being taught the same material. A system of checks and balances if you will and yet at first they were only considered to be for the higher achieving students. In recent years the Regents exams have undergone great change so that they not only address the standards that all students should be expected to reach but also expect students to have a basic understanding of content which is not based on rote memorization but rather critcal thinking. These tests keep not only students in check but teachers as well. But of course the question is should we base the sucess of our students on a standards/content based exam? Of course not but tests do have a value when used properly in a classroom. Tests are very useful as a tool for the teacher to get a grasp on how much a student really understands and can apply the material covered in class. They are especially useful if the teacher can determine the common errors students make and misconceptions students have about what has been covered. Tests can also point out to the teacher were her/his weaknesses might have been in covering a particular unit/topic/theme. As has been written by Grant Wiggins in the recent issue of Edutopia feedback is essential after giving a test and allows students to discover their own weaknesses. Should they be the basis of student sucess? No,but neither should they be considered an absolute evil. They should be used in conjuction with project based work, which when done properly, is so much more difficult for students to do well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-1145279382230432732006-04-17T09:09:00.000-04:002006-04-17T09:09:00.000-04:00Joel Klein looks at the same situation and decides...Joel Klein looks at the same situation and decides to outsource progress reports 101. "Cambridge Education will begin training DOE staff this spring so that eventually this can become a peer-review process." Donors to the Fund for Public Schools... have committed $500,000 in philanthropic support for this program.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17020107.post-1145038627421530792006-04-14T14:17:00.000-04:002006-04-14T14:17:00.000-04:00I just read Edutopia's latest magazine and Wiggins...I just read Edutopia's latest magazine and Wiggins proposes tests are good, just not for the purpose we are currently using them.<BR/><BR/>Tests with immediate feedback are essential to student achievement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com