Students are often permitted to retake formative assessments (the idea being that they need to learn and relearn and master all of the components before combining it all into a "summative" assessments.) Students are not permitted to retake summative assessments. The 50% rule applies to formative assessments, but not to summatives.

Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:One more question. What is a "formative"?

A formative assessment is a form of checking for understanding. In the guides, they are structured (mirroring more of a standard test) and usually graded. The data is used to monitor how much material the students have mastered up to this point.

However, teachers can check for understanding using a variety of informal methods - and not all have to be written. These are some examples - http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/file/view/strategies.pdf

Yes, I teach the components of writing, and the organizational patterns will be different depending upon the purpose of the writing assignment.

One more question. What is a "formative"?

Your input is really helpful. Thank you. Do they still teach terms (and related skills) like "paragraph," "essay," etc.?

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Are kids taught these terms? I hope not! Thank you for explaining pp.

Yes, they are taught those terms b/c they were on the High School Assessments. It was always embarrassing to hear that some of the students used those terms in college. So while they were taught to students to help them recognize the test question, we tried to explain that these were testing terms used to assess reading comprehension and writing. Advanced kids got it, but some of the low performers rarely made it beyond the ECR/BCR stage b/c teachers felt compelled to teach to the test and didn't feel as though they had the time to do anything else.

OP here: Are kids taught these terms? I hope not! Thank you for explaining pp.

OP, in my day, a good test had multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. They were graded with a point system.

Now, an assessment has selected response, brief constructed response, and extended constructed response assessment items. They are graded with a rubric.

Nothing changes in education except the buzzwords.

Don't forget LRJ's (Literature Response Journals) which are basically essays describing something the child has written. A new 5th grade term.

Maybe MCPS could save a lot of money by not creating all of these weird, made up phrases to describe very basic things (paragraph, essay, test, etc.). Oh well, then what would all the MCPS consultants do all day!?

Not the OP, but thank you for that response PP!

Anonymous wrote:And any other stupid terms used by MCPS that likely serve to alienate students and their parents from learning and the English language?? I think I have figured out that BCR means a paragraph, and I am surmising that maybe ECR means Extended something or other because the teacher told me that ECR means multiple paragraphs, but when I emailed back asking what the acronyms actually stand for I didn't get a response. They also use the term assessment to mean "test" (what's wrong with that?) and I think "exit card" means an in class activity...?? WTF. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I know someone must know what these terms mean. At least they still use the term quiz. At least I know what that means.

BCRs and ECRs were phased out to my knowledge. They were used with the old curriculum frameworks. BCRs were (and if they're still used, should be) used to assess reading comprehension. Sadly, many teachers were not aware of that fact. ECRs assessed writing. Assessing reading comprehension is very different from assessing writing, as the level of making inferences is assessed. Are students skimming the surface and sticking with concrete facts, or are they able to "read between the lines" and make connections among the ideas in the reading passage?

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/directory/2013AcronymsGuide.pdf
MCPS acronyms


Reading is still assessed, but not within that same framework, and writing is assessed based on the the purpose of the assignment. Is the paper persuasive? a personal essay? a research report? a satire? etc.


There's nothing wrong with using assessment instead of testing Semantically, here's the difference. Assessments are used to drive instruction. Tests, however, as normally associated with an end. A final exam is a test. Formative assessments, however, are used during the course of the unit to check for understanding. Would you rather have your child fail a test and receive that grade, or would you prefer that the teacher use the assessment to figure out what the child still needs?

An exit card helps to check for understanding. Most are not graded. If a teacher gives a lesson, at the end, a child may fill out an exit card to show how much s/he gained during the lesson. It, too, can be used to drive instruction the next day. Exit cards are widely used, but they should not be the main form of checking for understanding. During the entire lesson, the teacher should be informally checking to see whether students are paying attending and learning during that particular lesson.

I don't know what school you're child is attending, but the philosophy - and not the specifics of instruction - should be shared with parents. If I get my blood drawn, I want to know why, but I don't need to know how to find a "good" vein.

I'm sorry you're so frustrated. But I sometimes wonder if we put parents on information overload.

ECR- Extended constructed response

Lol. Sorry I can't help. But I did enjoy sitting in a room of highly educated parents nodding vaguely while the teacher informed is that they won't be using the "traditional algorithms" to teach our 7 year olds math. .... And that is????

BCR means "brief constructed response", I think. At least, I think it did 10 years ago in MCPS elementary schools.

And any other stupid terms used by MCPS that likely serve to alienate students and their parents from learning and the English language?? I think I have figured out that BCR means a paragraph, and I am surmising that maybe ECR means Extended something or other because the teacher told me that ECR means multiple paragraphs, but when I emailed back asking what the acronyms actually stand for I didn't get a response. They also use the term assessment to mean "test" (what's wrong with that?) and I think "exit card" means an in class activity...?? WTF. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I know someone must know what these terms mean. At least they still use the term quiz. At least I know what that means.