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24HourForums.com > Supported Forums > Britt's Child Education > How relevant are the Star tests for grade school children? |
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shirohniichan Original500© Member  Obscurius per obscurum
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I've heard some people dismiss the national Star tests as nearly useless in assessing children's aptitude in reading and other subjects, and I'm interested in hearing the opinions of those who are familiar with them. The criticisms I've heard against the tests generally come from parents and teachers of children who did not score well on them, so I wonder how valid the criticisms are.
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member  Learning Contentment
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In my opinion, the STAR tests are only accurate within +/- 50 points as it mainly assesses a child's ability to take standardized tests and decipher highly culturally-biased materials. Often, these tests ask culturally mystifying questions that elude children, particularly children in lower grades. Due to this, the STAR test lacks real statistical relevancy. In a general sense, they are good at determining a child's reading level, but again, within a very inexact berth of statistical accuracy. Take for example a question asked of kindergarten students in 2001. The question showed a poorly drawn illustration of an oblong figure with black dots, along with a math question. Apparently, the illustration was of a snack "all American children know" -- all children except Navajo children attending an isolated school more than 100 miles from a Wal-Mart! What was this illustration? "Ants on a Log," or raisins on a peanut butter-filled stick of celery. None of the kids recognized it. Neither did I, point of fact. Who eats raisins on celery logs with peanut butter?!?  In my opinion, standardized tests are written for a narrow audience, namely analytical-mathematical students, and completely neglect to assess the majority of students accurately. Students with an analytical-mathematical bent achieve well on standardized tests. To say this proves that students whom receive low scores are necessarily poor readers is a misnomer. I have witnessed many advanced readers not perform well on standardized tests. This makes me doubt their accuracy. My daughter always scored the highest in the district on the STAR. Like the writers of the tests, however, she is naturally an analytical-mathematical thinker and responds well to the format. Interestingly, her brother is just as advanced a reader as she was at his age, however he is more visual-kinesthetic and does not fair well on standardized tests. Other assessments show him to be reading a full six grades ahead. So, who is correct? Obviously, standardized tests have limitations.
 "All that you have is your soul." --Tracy Chapman |
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shirohniichan Original500© Member Obscurius per obscurum
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Thanks for the detailed response. I will see if I can find a copy of the test. We got the test results for our daughter and see she is listed at a "4.7" reading level (from what I understand, that's average for a pupil 7/10ths finished with the fourth grade). It wouldn't surprise me. The questions that comes to my mind is "What is 'average'?" How would the American average compare with averages from other countries using English as the primary language? Do Canadians, Brits, and others have similar standardized tests? Has anyone compared the tests? There has to be a way to eliminate the cultural biases you list. I also would have no idea what "ants on a log" were. I'm glad they didn't import the test from Oz and ask the kids about Vegemite.
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bjork73 Pioneer100© Member  Official Forum (T)reasoner
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I always did quite well at standardized tests (1520 SAT I, 730 GMAT with a 5.5 writing score), but I have always wondered, even back when I was in middle school, if the tests actually measured what they were intended to measure, or what exactly they were trying to measure in the first place... 
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Learning Contentment
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Indeed, those are quite respectable scores! You are correct to wonder at their actual meaning, however. They measure such a limited sampling of skills and talents, leaving many areas untouched. When I perform well on a test, I often think, "So I am well-suited to acing assessments that measure logic and analytical skill, so what? What does that prove? Only that I can think logically." There are numerous intelligences, not only mathematical (analytical) intelligence. These tests do not measure creativity or ingenuity, nor do they measure artistic gifts or interpersonal skill. Sure, we can receive a high GMAT score, but is this definitive evidence that we will be innovative members of our chosen vocations? Not at all. It just proves we can fair well on a test. Yippee. Make me feel disappointed, somehow. 
"All that you have is your soul." --Tracy Chapman |
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24HourForums.com > Supported Forums > Britt's Child Education > How relevant are the Star tests for grade school children? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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