| Description |
vii, 197 pages ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-186) and index. |
| Contents |
A medley of views -- This is not a test -- Misunderstanding accountability: the big picture -- The tests are too narrow -- The tests don't measure achievement adequately -- Testing autobiography: Phil's story -- The tests are less than objective -- Testing autobiography: Bruce's story -- Rewards and punishments don't motivate -- Testing autobiography: Joan's story -- The distortions of high stakes -- What's left out? -- Why not more direct measurement? -- The test don't predict well -- New ideas for genuine accountability -- What's it all about? |
|
"Reading" the reading tests / Susan Ohanian -- Misunderstood measurement mallets / W. James Popham -- A use of tests I could support / Gerald W. Bracey -- Within limits, tests can be useful / Stanley Pogrow -- Kids or cows? / Tom O'Brien -- The tests we need today / Gail Marshall -- A smoke screen / Larry Barber -- The game of school / Ken Jones. |
| Summary |
Pundits, politicians, and business leaders continually make claims for what standardized tests can do, and those claims go largely unchallenged because they are in line with popular assumptions about what these tests can do, what the scores mean, and the psychology of human motivation. But what most of these opinion leaders say, and the public believes, about standardized testing just isn't so. However, few members of the general public, not even concerned parents, have the time or the background to keep up with the latest findings of testing experts, psychometricians, and researchers. That is where this book comes in. In it the authors spell out the assumptions underlying standardized tests and point out what is true about them and what is just plain mythical. But they not only debunk common assumptions about standardized tests; they propose better ways to judge the success of our schools. They also offer readers suggestions for ways they can help reduce the burden of tests on their children. Appendixes offer readers contact information and suggestions for actions they can take to become part of the solution to the problem of overusing and misusing standardized tests. |
| Subject |
Universities and colleges -- United States -- Admission.
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Universities and colleges. |
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United States. |
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Education, Higher -- Standards -- United States.
|
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Education, Higher -- Standards. |
|
Education, Higher. |
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College applications -- United States.
|
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College applications. |
| Added Author |
Smith, Bruce M., 1949-
|
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Harris, Joan, 1938-
|
| ISBN |
9781442208094 cloth alkaline paper |
|
1442208090 cloth alkaline paper |
|
9781442208117 electronic |
|
1442208112 electronic |
|
