Test Preparation

[jsfowler]

Do you do anything special to get ready for THE TEST? Individually or school-wide?

[Chef Dave]

At our school, the building administrator has my culinary arts department support students taking tests. We offer a complimentary continental breakfast.

I know we have AIMS peer tutors for anyone who needs assistance.

I'm not sure what core academic teachers do to prep their kids.

In the meanwhile, our state superintendent is also doing battle with the Federal Department of Education. The Federal DoE recently denied a request from the Arizona DoE to allow special education students to use calculators as a "reasonable accomodation."

[busbus]

Our test taking preparation has been ongoing all year. It's built into lesson plans. School Based Teacher Leaders get ideas and strategies at their monthly meetings. They, in turn, do turn-around-training with the teaching staff at school meetings and professional development.

This year, we have spent a lot of time on Constructed Responses and "bumping up" our practice items to Level 4 of Depths of Knowledge.

[jsfowler]

Chef Dave, your special needs students do not get to use calculators? What accomodaions do they get?

Busbus, I'm glad you are doing it year round...that is what you have to do to make a difference...you can't cram at the end. DOK is killing me this year. This is the first year we have technically labeled our standards with DOK and I am still trying to figure everything out. DOK 2 are MC, I think...DOK 3 and 4 are open response.

[Chef Dave]

Chef Dave, your special needs students do not get to use calculators? What accomodaions do they get?


I don't know. I'm not a core academic instructor, so I don't administer AIMs tests or have anything to do with test preparation.

Regarding the use of calculators, our building administrator sent us an e-mail from the superintendent of schools for the Arizona Department of Education. The superintendent was told by the Federal Department of Education that our special needs students may NOT use calculators.

The superintendent has vowed to battle this but short of involving our state senators and congressional representatives to lobby on our behalf, I don't know what else he can do.

In the meanwhile, special needs students throughout our state will not be able to use calculators on upcoming the AIMs tests ...

[jsfowler]

I don't understand why the FEDERAL DofE is saying no to your state when other states can.

[MissTeach]

We prep all year: before and after the test. When we finish the test this year, we start on next year. Every thing we do is focused on the TEST. It is sad, but is a reality that must be contended with.

[Chef Dave]

I don't understand why the FEDERAL DofE is saying no to your state when other states can.

Yep ... I can see that our taxpayer dollars have been "well spent" ... you've gotta love the Feds ... :eek:

[busbus]

In the mathematics section of our standardized test, there is one section that no student can use a calculator. Once it's completed, it's sealed.

We are encouraged not to allow students to use any calculator if they have not been used as a part of instruction on a constant basis. Unless the student understands how to use a graphing calculator, it won't help them to use it in the test. The same with using any calculator. Students are given the formulas for test items. They just have to know how and when to use each one.

My understanding of Arizona's AIMS test is that the mathematics test has little to do with calculations, according to the DOE:
The mathematics test contains approximately 100 multiple-choice questions. The questions will emphasize conceptual understanding, process, and problem solving skills rather than just computation skills.

Students in grades and in high school are given AIMS testing guides to use in preparation. I don't know how they are being used with the students; however, if they use them for practice to hone their conceptual understanding, process, and problem solving skills, they should do okay. A calculator will not help them in these areas. Severely cognitively impaired special education students are given a different AIMS test.

[DanaPendarvis]

We test prep all year for the FCAT for the 3rd -12th grade and then the Sat 10 for the K-2nd. Some of our students have tests phobias and get sick before the tests are actually taken. I do not know about were you live but we are the only county/district that does the SAT-10 on a K level all other districts here in Florida do not. I do not know why our district does not follow the others and do away with it all together. Some students are pushed so hard that they even though they are smart end up doing poorly on their tests because of the presser they are under. I know of one student whose mother pulled him out of school and started homeschooling him just because one of his teachers literally told him he was stupid because he had problems with the practice writing tests and he was in the gifted classes at his school.

[Boxcar]

The poor kids!

A test in kindergarten? I'm horrified. :(