Reply to What does "teaching to the test" really mean?

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Reply to "What does "teaching to the test" really mean?"

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[quote=Anonymous]I am sure different schools "teach to the test" differently.

I had a kid at one school that was proud of not teaching to the test.  They had the low test scores to match, and I can honestly say my kid learned next to nothing academic at that school.

Another kid is at a school where they do plenty of test practicing. They learn some test-taking skills but it is not overdone (I think test-taking skills are useful to have).  They spend a lot of time going over the substantive material that will appear on the test and my kid has learned a TON from that school.  His writing is great because he understands the concept of a main idea supported with evidence, for example.  (This was never taught at the other school-- ELA was just reading at your own pace and a bunch of free writing).

Neither of these schools are Title I.

So beware of schools that brag about not teaching to the test.  The best schools take test taking in stride.  They know that it is a reality in education, but they are also confident that if they teach their students the material and some basic test-taking strategies and computer confidence, they will do well, without having to spend a year doing practice tests.  It is possible that in Title I schools they will have less confidence in their student body and do more practice test taking.   I have heard this anecdotally.  [/quote]

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