• Interview at least two teachers, one supervisor and at least two parents/caregivers from any grade level.
• In your interviews, you should explore the following issues with all constituents:
  • Type of standardized tests given;
  • Purpose of the standardized tests;
  • The emphasis that is placed on the results of the standardized tests;
  • Amount of test preparation used;
  • Feelings of teachers and parents/caregivers about the standardized tests;
• Summarize your findings in paper; and
• Provide your opinion of your findings.

• Definition of Standardized Testing;
• Types of Standardized Testing;
• Validity and reliability;
• Methods of interpreting Standardized Testing results;
• Use of technology in Standardized Testing; and
• Accountability and Standardized Testing.

Scenario
You are an investigative reporter (i.e., a talking head with a weekly time slot that highlights School Issues) from a local television station. The producer wants you to investigate the importance of Standardized Testing in your community. The School District is supportive and will make the following people available to you at your convenience:

• One teacher from the local elementary school;
• One principal from the local middle school;
• Guidance Counselor from a high school;
• A parent who is the President of the School District's Parent Advocacy Group for Quality in Education; and
• Dean of Education from a local college.

Assignment

1. Prepare a list of general questions (at least 5) that could be used for each interviewee. You might adapt them as needed.
2. Using the point of view of each constituent identified above, describe how you think they might respond to your questions.
3. Prepare a two page summary of the interviews that you would read during your televised report. You might also want to use literary devices that will support an effective, entertaining report. If possible, you might want to include pictures that will further support your findings.

Scenario
You are a fifth grade teacher, and a parent wants to discuss her child's report card and the Math and Reading scores from the most recent State's Standardized Tests.

Please find below a copy of the child's report card and the results from both Math and Reading Standardized Tests.

Teacher Comments: S______ is an excellent student who works hard and is well behaved. However, based on the report included below, she must attend summer school and to improve her Reading and Math Test Scores. She might have to repeat Grade 5 if there is no improvement in her test scores (i.e., Mastery Level in all subskills in Reading, Writing and Mathematics).

Assignment

1. Why do you think this parent is concerned about her child's academic performance?
2. How do you think the teacher might respond to the parent's concerns? Explain.
3. Develop a paper that identifies the causes for what has happened with this child.
4. How might educators avoid similar problems?

Scenario
You are a principal of a middle school that has a history of high performance on Standardized Tests. In fact, your students compare favorably with students nationwide.

Your daughter attends a different middle school and has just taken the following standardized tests: Reading, Math, Social Studies and Science. During dinner, she explains that her teachers have spent considerable class time prepping their classes for the upcoming State tests. Furthermore, she explains that her art and physical education classes were cancelled on several occasions to allow more time for test preparation.

You also realize that she has been tired and anxious lately and has not listened to Brittany Spears and Lenny Kravitz ( her all time favorite performers) for over a week. You are definitely concerned because she is an excellent student and usually deals well with school pressures.

You call her best friend's mother and she describes a similar pattern with her daughter. Based on this information, you interview students in your school. Most students explain that they have completed on the average of 4-5 State tests in one week, and feel they have not learned anything for over a month because of test preparation. You know that some students constantly complain about school, but you believe that there are common concerns from these students and your daughter.

You return to your office and go on-line and check the School District's link that deals with their testing program. This is what you find:

Assignment

1. What pattern has developed in this School District over the last six years? What do you think has caused this?
2. Based on the pattern discovered, do you think your students and daughter have a legitimate complaint about testing? Explain.
3. Research the Net and find a school district(s) where parents students and educators have taken a stand about similar testing issues. Summarize what occurred in the school district.
4. Prepare a Position Paper for your Superintendent that analyzes the testing program in the School District. Please address the issue as an educator and parent. Note that you must support your position with the readings from class and other sources.