Everyone has an opinion about standardized
testing, but this week I’ve been able to observe a new side of testing. The new
district writing assessment of MNPS is on a computer, and the students are required
to type their answers for the assessment.
I’m in a 6th grade
language arts classroom during this placement. The teachers have planned
lessons on summarizing and comparing and contrasting articles, skills that will
be required for this test. However, this week the teachers have also had to
spend class time practicing typing. Most of the time they are typing essays,
but since it takes them so much longer to type, the teachers have to plan a lot
of extra class time for these activities. Last year, when the format of the
test was changed to a computer the test scores plummeted. Since this is the
only test on a computer, and the only test where students are required to type,
the teachers with other subjects don’t feel as much pressure to make sure the
students know how to type. While typing is a necessary skill in today’s
society, I think it belongs in a computer or technology class, instead of
becoming an extra burden on the language arts teachers and the students in
their classroom. The test is also testing the students’ ability to type in
addition to the content.
Oh my goodness, I completely agree. I hate computerized tests as it is (hey, Praxis), and I'm really annoyed that my 4th graders have to take a computerized writing test in a couple weeks. Aside from maybe 1 centers activity per week, I don't think my students get any practice typing at school. If it was a multiple choice test, that would be one thing, but I really doubt that most of the students have the typing skills to read, prewrite, and type their essays on this kind of timed test. The teachers are saying that the passages they have to write about are a 6th or 7th grade reading level, which adds another challenge for them. I know that if it were me, I would at least want a hard copy of the text to write on and annotate, ESPECIALLY if it was a challenging text, and the students don't even get that. Now that I'm older and pretty proficient at typing (thanks to elementary/middle school computer classes, and, of course, AIM), I would rather type essays than handwrite them, but the students don't have the time, resources, or practice to prepare for this adequately.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree. However, I know that typing is a HUGE necessity for students these days. I remember in elementary school going through a computer typing program where we had to learn how to type without looking. Although this was frustrating and long, it has definitely helped me to learn how to type fast and easily today. However, I agree, this should be taught in a computer or technology class. Not by the regular general teacher in order to prepare for an assessment. Instead, after students already have had instruction on typing in an outside class, they then can take assessments that use typing so it is not an extra burden or struggle for students.
ReplyDeleteI have been having these same thoughts, Heather! I could not believe that the writing assessment is on a computer. While I agree that typing is a vital skill, it should be assessed separately from a student's ability to write. Many of my fourth graders are strong writers, but slow typers. They often shorten their sentences so they can type less, even though they are capable of more, and better, writing. It is an added stress for both the teachers and the students, and I strongly feel that the writing assessment should not be a typed test in elementary school. Perhaps in older grades and later testing it would be a more fitting approach.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher, like Ilana's teacher, told me that she thinks the passages and skills being assessed are higher than a fourth grade level, which only makes the test more of a challenge to the fourth graders. Especially those who are below grade level in maturity (not to mention, in writing) have trouble sitting silently typing at a computer for ninety minutes.
To me, it looks like a test of typing and stamina, not one of just writing.