PARCC monitoring student's social media, wants schools to "punish" them

[Anonymous]

When I was growing up, teachers kept their exams and answer keys under lock and key. You didn't see the exam until the day it was given. And if an upperclassman were to try and share the test he took the year prior, that was heavily frowned upon. They were always treated as proprietary information with consequences if they were improperly shared so that others could get an unfair advantage. This really isn't that much different from how tests have been handled for decades.

Well, thankfully, times have changed since you grew up.

If a test has to be kept under lock and key, there's something wrong with the standards and curriculum. A teacher who is teaching the same thing to different students every year is not a good teacher. Using the same test year after year means that the teacher is not adjusting or changing as new information and ways of assessing are entering the field.

Your post sounds like you are talking about college in any case.

The most important tests that students take are not the PARCC (despite all the hoopla). The most important tests are ones that follow teaching that is at the student's level. Those are the tests that measure true learning that is meaningful to the individual child.

[Anonymous]

When I was growing up, teachers kept their exams and answer keys under lock and key. You didn't see the exam until the day it was given. And if an upperclassman were to try and share the test he took the year prior, that was heavily frowned upon. They were always treated as proprietary information with consequences if they were improperly shared so that others could get an unfair advantage. This really isn't that much different from how tests have been handled for decades.

Wouldn't it be nice if CC and associated testing really represented a change in education? Apparently it will be the same as it has been for decades even though we live in a completely different world.

It's crazy to have these discrete tests in a world where opportunities are so broadened by this machine I am typing on. We need to find broader and more descriptive ways to measure people. And, if we must have these tests, at least don't make them HIGH STAKES!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't actually think it's legal, the way in which Pearson is trying to keep the proprietary nature of the exams and curriculum so closed. Parents and students have a right under the federal law, FERPA, to see all tests, including the specific answers recorded, the test questions, the test administration protocol and any data generated with a personalized student ID attached. You also have a right to ask questions, i.e. discuss it with appropriate teachers and staff.

If your child takes the PARCC and you want to see his answers and the questions, you should write a FERPA letter. I don't think the school can deny access.

This is very interesting. I'm pretty sure my son got his SAT score back with the questions and answers so that he could look to see what he missed and what the correct answers were. It was online I think. I can't recall, but I think he got the same thing for his PSAT. Does anyone else remember this?

There's a difference between a company releasing test questions and answers after an administration window has closed, and someone else sharing that info while the window is still open. I don't know if the SAT and PSAT send out the answers, but they certainly don't do while people are still taking the same version of the test. With time zones, there are people who start the SAT 23 hours before other people. There have been cases where people have used this time to create and sell pencils will all the answers written on them to people on the other side of the world. I would consider this cheating.

[Anonymous]

There's a difference between a company releasing test questions and answers after an administration window has closed, and someone else sharing that info while the window is still open. I don't know if the SAT and PSAT send out the answers, but they certainly don't do while people are still taking the same version of the test. With time zones, there are people who start the SAT 23 hours before other people. There have been cases where people have used this time to create and sell pencils will all the answers written on them to people on the other side of the world. I would consider this cheating.

I believe they get the answers 3 weeks later with the SAT. I am sure the PARCC could give the answers within a month or two. Certainly before the next school year started. This would help the teachers in the next grade to see what needs to be studied as well.

[Anonymous]

There's a difference between a company releasing test questions and answers after an administration window has closed, and someone else sharing that info while the window is still open. I don't know if the SAT and PSAT send out the answers, but they certainly don't do while people are still taking the same version of the test. With time zones, there are people who start the SAT 23 hours before other people. There have been cases where people have used this time to create and sell pencils will all the answers written on them to people on the other side of the world. I would consider this cheating.

If the tests are not high stakes, you won't have these problems. We are talking about a test (PARCC) that is for grades 3-8 (not college entrance). The stakes are high because it measures schools (NCLB) and possibly teacher evaluations. If you take those things away, there is no incentive to cheat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There's a difference between a company releasing test questions and answers after an administration window has closed, and someone else sharing that info while the window is still open. I don't know if the SAT and PSAT send out the answers, but they certainly don't do while people are still taking the same version of the test. With time zones, there are people who start the SAT 23 hours before other people. There have been cases where people have used this time to create and sell pencils will all the answers written on them to people on the other side of the world. I would consider this cheating.

If the tests are not high stakes, you won't have these problems. We are talking about a test (PARCC) that is for grades 3-8 (not college entrance). The stakes are high because it measures schools (NCLB) and possibly teacher evaluations. If you take those things away, there is no incentive to cheat.

PARCC goes through 11th grade.

[Anonymous]

With all the money paid for the development of these tests to PARCC, it would seem they could have managed to have enough tests to meet all the "windows" without much duplication.

[Anonymous]

The big problem is that they overrate what these tests can do.

[Anonymous]

High stakes in India:

http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-c1-india-cheating-20140416-m-story.html#page=1

[Anonymous]

The people who keep crying about "high stakes" only seem to care or complain when it comes to teachers being affected, which indicates to me they didn't give a shit about the high stakes involved where it came to students being affected. Ultimately what we should be caring about is whether students are reaching a level of proficiency or if we are failing them.

[Anonymous]

The people who keep crying about "high stakes" only seem to care or complain when it comes to teachers being affected, which indicates to me they didn't give a shit about the high stakes involved where it came to students being affected. Ultimately what we should be caring about is whether students are reaching a level of proficiency or if we are failing them.

What affects the teachers affects the students. As long as jobs are on the line with test results, teachers will teach to the test. They want to keep their jobs. This is harmful to the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

When I was growing up, teachers kept their exams and answer keys under lock and key. You didn't see the exam until the day it was given. And if an upperclassman were to try and share the test he took the year prior, that was heavily frowned upon. They were always treated as proprietary information with consequences if they were improperly shared so that others could get an unfair advantage. This really isn't that much different from how tests have been handled for decades.

Well, thankfully, times have changed since you grew up.

If a test has to be kept under lock and key, there's something wrong with the standards and curriculum. A teacher who is teaching the same thing to different students every year is not a good teacher. Using the same test year after year means that the teacher is not adjusting or changing as new information and ways of assessing are entering the field.

Your post sounds like you are talking about college in any case.

The most important tests that students take are not the PARCC (despite all the hoopla). The most important tests are ones that follow teaching that is at the student's level. Those are the tests that measure true learning that is meaningful to the individual child.

Oh? Everything has changed and so much new information has entered and there are new ways of assessing?

So how much did Geometry change between this year and last year?

How much did English grammar change between this year and last year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people who keep crying about "high stakes" only seem to care or complain when it comes to teachers being affected, which indicates to me they didn't give a shit about the high stakes involved where it came to students being affected. Ultimately what we should be caring about is whether students are reaching a level of proficiency or if we are failing them.

Agreed. But the testing requirements in NCLB don't get students to proficiency. Also, people were talking about the bad effects of testing required by NCLB years before there were proposals to include student test results in teacher performance evaluations.

[Anonymous]

The people who keep crying about "high stakes" only seem to care or complain when it comes to teachers being affected, which indicates to me they didn't give a shit about the high stakes involved where it came to students being affected. Ultimately what we should be caring about is whether students are reaching a level of proficiency or if we are failing them.

These tests measure family and socio-economic inputs way, way more than any teacher inputs. You assume that "we are failing them" and that is what these tests are showing. The tests are not good at measuring whether teachers are teaching. Of course there are complaints about being measured by something that is not designed to measure what people want to use it to measure.

Plenty of people complained about NCLB (they called it "No Teacher Left"). I would say that there has been a major deterioration in education since the implementation of NCLB.

[Anonymous]

I would say that there has been a major deterioration in education since the implementation of NCLB.

+10000

My kids were in elementary school when the testing started. Sea change. Education became drudgery and homework increased significantly. Less learning, more drilling.