On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:12:42 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:57:04 -0500, John H.
wrote:



And you used to teach? Who certified you - Wal-Mart?

JimH's argument methods...cut what you don't like and make comments about
the rest.

I was certified by the state of Virginia, Tom.

Sorry - that was tounge and cheek. My apologies.

What I meant to say was that, at least in this state, you have to be
certified to teach. That certification is set to state standards and
you have to pass a core curriculum, pass a subject area knowledge
test, be mentored for a minimum of one year as a teacher then pass the
BEST program which is a whole 'nother story.

Very similar to the certification requirements in Virginia. Here the test
is called the Praxis. To teach high school math, a teacher must pass two of
them, one general and one math specific.


No offense meant.

With respect to the state and standards - it is true that the state
sets standards. However your interpretation of "standards" and their
interpretation of "standards" is very different.

I can't address that. Here, a standard may be:

"The student will solve multistep linear equations and inequalities in one
variable, solve literal equations (formulas) for a given variable, and
apply these skills to solve practical problems. Graphing calculators will
be used to confirm algebraic solutions." http://tinyurl.com/2b784r

Here, every Mastery Test is written, ordered and controlled by the
state. It is corrected by the state and the statistics developed from
the test are controlled by the state. Much like the SAT/GAT prep
pre-testing program and "pass/fail" classes, the test is taught
directly to the students.

You mean to say that the tests are given to the teachers early enough in
the year for them to teach only the test questions? If that's the case,
then it's simple fraud. You've got a right to complain, but not about NCLB.

There is a whole industry, Kaplan's comes to mind, that practically
teaches the SAT, test taking concepts, essay prompts, logical
progression of answer plots - it's teaching the test. A lot of the
Mastery Test prep program is based on Kaplan's techniques I believe.
I'd have to ask Mrs. Wave to be exact.

Yes, there are many 'tricks' to taking a multiple choice test, just as
there are many 'tricks' to the design of detractors and solutions to the
questions on the test. Students should have a general understanding of how
to take a multiple choice test, how to figure the odds, and when to guess
and not guess. Teaching that is *not* 'teaching THE test', but teaching
'test taking'.

Be that as it may, I don't see how you can look at it any other way
than teaching the test.

--
John H