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Re: LOGO-L> Re: Teaching to a Test
Kevin Maguire (K.Maguire@Latrobe.edu.au)
Tue, 14 Jan 1997 09:01:08 +1100 (EST)
Good morning all,
Tom, what you have written is from the perspective of the teachers
and of the administration. What you are referring to is the standardisation
criteria by which your students are assessed according to your state's norm.
I find that I must agree with John, for the simple fact that I, as a
teacher, am more interested in what the affect would be upon my students.
Here, in my home state of Victoria, we have a similar battery of tests. The
results are for political reasons only and have no credence with a school.
Children who are assessed on this battery can be devistated, not because
they haven't tried, but because the test may be beyond them. I teach
children. I have done so for many years. I feel that my continual
assessment through my everyday teaching strategies puts me in a far better
position to assess my students. Anecodotally, I had one child who was
functionally illiterate at the beginning of Year 3. The battery of tests
showed what we all knew. He was way behind. He was devistated. All the
work I had put into developing in him a sense of his self worth and
confidence was lost. What is more iimportant: the state's norm or the value
of a child?
Kind regards,
K.
Kevin J. Maguire Telephone: +61 3 9479 2080
Graduate School of Education Fax: +61 3 9479 3070
La Trobe University E-mail:K.Maguire@Latrobe.edu.au
Bundoora or edukjm@luga.latrobe.edu.au
VIC 3083
Australia
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