Reply to AP 3 in a sea of 4/5s

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Teacher here. Some of my strongest students in my AP classes are terrible test takers. I’ve never considered a score to be a solid indicator of college readiness. I have 20 years of experience watching average test takers (but great students) move on to strong colleges and advanced degrees. I have a relative with two masters and a PhD (all from great colleges) and he bombed the SAT and the GRE.

My own child just scored a 2 on one of his exams. I’m not that upset, and neither is he. He’ll be prepared for college and that score isn’t going to keep him out.
[/quote]

Genuine Question: How can someone be a strong student and a "terrible test taker"? Part of being a strong student involves demonstrating mastery of the subject matter. If you bomb all the tests and quizzes, then how are they demonstrating mastery?

That's like saying, "I'm an incredible actor. I just have terrible stage fright and freeze up on stage." You can't be a great actor if you can't perform when the spotlight is on....

And if you're not good at taking tests due to emotional/mental needs, a strong student should be self-aware and ensure they have the appropriate accommodations to compensate for that?[/quote]

I’m the teacher PP.

There are many, many ways to demonstrate content knowledge. Multiple choice questions and formatted essays aren’t the only way. I actually prefer choice and project-based assignments for that very reason. I can actually see what my students know, and not what they memorized. (… and I am a highly regarded teacher who takes assessment methods courses on my own time each summer.)

People take test prep sessions to learn the skills associated with taking a test… the strategy. I have also had mediocre students who are good at test strategy.

[b]I don’t see a clear correlation between high test scores and high performance. [/b]

[/quote]

AP teacher who understands the above, but also thinks that memorization is important, since "knowing" without actually being able to recall the information without aids/Google, etc. is pretty important.  So, if your child or student is a "terrible test taker," that is an important thing to work on.  They need to learn study skills, work on anxiety, etc. because they will face many stressful situations in their educational and professional lives and they need to be able to cope.  I would really dispute the last sentence, though.  [/quote]

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