Reply to: Level Testing question

["Mike Curley" <curley@turbonet.com>]

Mr/Ms Jordan:
"Level testing" refers to testing at what grade level a
student is or can perform.  It is a way to find out a really
important element of the teaching process--what a student
has learned over a given period of time.  For example, if 
we test third graders in Sept to find out what level they are
reading at, then again the following May, we find out some
individual information and can then use it also for group
comparison.  There is a big advantage for the teacher.  For
example, if a only standardized test is given near the end
of the year and it says that 3rd-grader Don is reading at
grade level 3.5 the teacher (and Don's parents) may think
the teacher failed to teach very well because Don needs to
be reading at 4th grade level.  But, if we know that Don
started the year at grade level 2.2, we can see the 
dramatic increase in reading ability over the year. Level 
testing can also be a factor in evaluating the "alignment" 
of the curriculum--it is easier to tell if what was taught in 
3rd grade actually prepared the students for what they 
were taught in 4th grade:  that, for example, 4th grade 
math picked up where 3rd grade math ended, rather than 
at some other disconnected place.

Mike Curley


On 27 Mar 02, at 1:15, hayfields@moscow.com wrote:

Date forwarded: 	Tue, 26 Mar 2002 17:04:42 -0800 (PST)
From:           	hayfields@moscow.com
To:             	vision2020@moscow.com
Subject:        	Level Testing
Date sent:      	Wed, 27 Mar 2002 01:15:16 GMT
Forwarded by:   	vision2020@moscow.com

Today my daughter took a 'leveling' test. The point of this
test was to figure out where each student is, before giving
them a standardized test. Apparently the purpose of this is
to give each student a standardized test that will be at his
or her level. There does not seem to be a correlation
between the curriculum to be learned or any other factor.
What is the point of that?? Won't that just provide a bunch
of scores showing that students are at the average level for
the test they took? This will make the district look good I
suppose. Apparently this is in response to the state
mandated tests. So how does this help the district plan-
nothing in the information I received about the leveling
test stated that the kid would be placed in classes based
upon the scores. Anybody out there have any input?

H.
Jordan

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