Standardized testing and assessment go hand in hand. All throughout the school year, students take unit exams. Each unit focuses on a certain TEK (s) and our job as educators is to check for concept attainment. The roadblock sometimes is the length of the test, the rigor of the questions being asked, and how educators are assessing. One thing for sure about the article I located is the ability to meet the needs of every child individually.

Many times as educators we want students who are not mature enough or educated enough to determine their growth and self-assess.  (Villanyi et al., 2018) stated “This tool integrates the conditions required for ac- curate self-assessment: (1) a non-competitive setting, (2) items formulated on the task level, and (3) limited reading and no verbalization required. The innovation consists of using illustrations and a language-reduced rating scale.” Students tend to self-assess according to the scale grade of 100. As I always explain to students, you cannot go from a 40 to a 100. I assure that slowly we will get them to that score. Unfortunately, there are some school settings that have not shared that same idea. Students to this day look at a number to determine how ‘smart’ they are.

According to (Villanyi et al., 2018)  the research and findings  aimed to rigorously empirically investigate whether third- and fourth-graders in elementary school can provide accurate self-assess- ments of key academic competencies (mathematics and reading comprehension) when equipped with a self-assessment tool that combines all the conditions that are favorable for accurate self-assessment (i.e., a non-competitive setting, task-oriented questions, limited reading, and no verbalization required). The study took place in an area with multilingual students and a variety of learners. One thing for sure, is that each child had a positive outcome and established confidence within themselves.

Again! This article hit close to home. When I look at the current STAAR test, which is administered in the state of Texas, I no longer cringe. One measurement tool that STAAR is using is solely looking for growth in a student from year to year.

Going forward the way of technology and teaching in the 21^st century is booming. A question that is constantly asked by administration is about students’ concept attainment. If scores are low, they ask the educator to make a plan of action. The tool used in this article uses different concept attainment and is individualized to the need of each child. In using this assessment tool, the results would be more genuine to that of a standard test that is exactly the same for all students.

Works Cited:

Denise Villanyi, Romain Martin, Philipp Sonnleitner, Christina Siry, & Antoine Fischbach (2018). A Tablet – Computer – Based Tool to Facilitate Accurate Self-Assessments in Third- and Fourth- Graders. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (IJET), 10,225. https://doi-org.wmlsrsu.idm.oclc.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i0.8876

 

Too much of one thing is good and yet not enough is bad. As a teacher, I ask myself, are we on the same page? With all the new resources being introduced, who can I say is the evaluator of these. We as teachers are presented with some validity behind programs, but are we as educators ‘cheating literacy’?

I completed my analysis on the article The Limitations of Simulated Classroom Discourse in Educational Software for Children. The research focused on the use of a software program that was localized from the UK and used in South Africa. Data showed students could click all answers and get feedback from their selected answers. They based the feedback on a pass or fail rather than a rationale explaining why and how the questions could have been solved. So, any student would do just as the one in the research did. Click as many times until you get a score of 100%. Imagine how many times our students use that “strategy?”

Prior to presenting technology, it must go through evaluators who assess the validity of questions and results. Students cannot rely on and repetitive practice without gaining insight behind it. Any student could pass and show growth, eventually. Imagine that one student who really follows the reading or content and puts 100% into the assignment or test and gets a 0%. Now compare him/her to a student who is guessing and clicking away, figuring out how to reset the program just to get all answers correct.

This is where standardized testing comes into play. I once heard someone say it’s not about the questions on a test. All you have to do is read the answers. Could education and progress monitoring solely rely on a skill of how to go through the process of elimination?

Works Cited

Walton, M. (2007). Cheating Literacy: The Limitations of Simulated Classroom

Discourse in Educational Software for Children. Language and Education,

21(3), 197-215

Standardized testing is not going anywhere. However, the format is ever-changing and has to be up to date with curriculum and technology. This is necessary for all students to prepare them for life beyond the classroom.

I completed my first article analysis on The Effect of Success Maker Software on State Scores in Elementary School Math. In this article, the author’s purpose was to research why students were not passing the standardized test thus not showing yearly progress in math. The article seemed short and only a tiny particle of my research. However, at the end of my article and digging deeper to understand it I was mind blown. There is a huge need for consistency and validity within what the curriculum shows, what and how teachers teach, and finally the standards that are being measured.

Going beyond traditional teaching (Kiriakidis & Geer, 2014) state we must individualize intervention to have success. The authors also measure other methods in order for students to grasp these math concepts.

As a teacher, we constantly look for new ways to show math problems. Alone this year, the school district I work for is using a math program that goes beyond the basic algorithm we were once taught. In order for concepts and strategies to be retained we must teach conceptually and practice daily.

Standardized testing begins in 3^rd grade where reading and math are tested. From there on we add writing and science in the following years. One thing for sure is we intertwine all subjects. From my research of Success Maker, the software program tested in the article I could watch a demo lesson. The first thing this demo lesson started off with was vocabulary. They taught the word multiply, multiple, and multiplication. They used a real word situation that a student would understand. This is amazing and helpful for students. How can we expect a student to comprehend 4 x 5 = 20 without being knowledgeable about what ‘times or multiply’ mean?

Technology is here to stay and if we can use that to guide and assist our students so they pass these standardized tests then were winning. Not only in Math, but in all subjects. The beauty of quantitative data and math is we’re able to look at numbers and determine an outcome. For someone like myself or a 3rd-grade student, we can make changes and know where we stand based on data. At the end of the article (Kiriakidis & Geer, 2014) revealed that Success Maker helped students increase their proficiency in math as measured by state tests.

Works Cited

Kiriakidis, P. P., & Geer, B. T. (2014). The Effect of Success Maker Software on State Scores in Elementary School Math. Romanian Journal for multidimensional Education / Revista Romaneasca Pentru Educatie Multidimensionala, 6(2), 127-138. https://doi-org.wmlsru.Idm.oclc.org/10.18662/rrem/2014.0602.10

Is there anything like Success Maker for students studying at home? (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2020, from https://www.time4learning.com/learning-successmaket.shtml

What used to define education in the past is losing validity. As many people have said, we cannot raise children how we were once raised because they are being born in a different era. A test alone cannot measure the intellect of children today. They have access to an abundance of resources and help from all angles. It is torturous to students sit through a thirty to forty long question exam. One arguable statement is students don’t have the stamina to sit through these tests. They don’t; few adults can barely sit for 4 hours straight focused on one assignment, much less would a 9-year-old.

I joined the public elementary school sector about two years ago and have been educated on the format of the STAAR standardized test students take in the state of Texas. TEA has added many links and helpful tools to guide any student, teacher, or parent as they assist with STAAR testing preparation. It boils down to academic growth, and as long as a child can show growth from one year to the next that is sufficient. One thing my research lacks is technology. Now, some may say “they can take the test online.” This translates to the same test on paper being copied online with the ability for the computer to read it aloud and offer tools like highlighters. For those students who fall under 504 and SPED accommodations, they have access to small group testing, approved graphic organizers, and more time to complete the test. Is this enough?

From day one of the school year, we track data, use technology to teach, and go above and beyond to ask critical thinking questions of high rigor. Yet, the result is the same test for every student. I don’t see how it matches up and how it can calculate the intellect of a child. In the video below, the author shines a light on Google’s advancement of Google projects and states its intended purpose. There are so many tools and software programs just like that. He provides facts that are eye-opening and compares our statistics with other countries that do not follow a standardized test.

I will never argue for states around the nation to remove standardized testing altogether. What I will argue is testing using current real-world technology to represent a student. Educators strive for innovative ideas to create problem solvers and future leaders. We incorporate technology year-round and offer many avenues to grasp a concept and offer guidance, yet we stick a test booklet in front of a child, put them in a silent room, separate them from all their peers, and ask that they sit for 4 hours (if not longer). What’s the use of PBL, STEAM, and Fine Arts education if this is the result?

This is where the road doesn’t end, but where it begins. It leads me to my underlying research question, how do the elementary technology education and standardized testing correlate. I look forward to presenting my research and validating with facts and studies to shine a light on today’s educational system. I hope to gain the knowledge I once did not have, and I hope to create an effective testing format for my students now and always.

Works Cited

Testing Texas Education Agency. (n.d.). Retrieved February, 4, 2020, from

https://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing

Zakaran, C. (2013), May 13). Standardized Testing: The Problem with America’s

Education System [Video]. Retrieved February 3, 2020, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?=3VqrN-w3RA