Activity 1

Title: What to Tell Bobby's Mom

Instructional Strategy: Critical Thinking

Purpose:

This activity is designed to help students become aware of the nature of standardized tests.

Objectives:

• Develop awareness of the nature of standardized tests.
• Determine the value of standardized test scores.

Student Activity:

Prepare an outline of what you will tell a very concerned parent whose son Bobby got a very low standardized test score as a junior high school student even though he has been demonstrating high performance in class. Include in your outline: (1) the basic purpose of standardized tests, (2) meaningfulness of standardized test scores, and (3) possible reasons why Bobby is doing well in class, but not well on standardized tests. Brainstorm some possible reactions from the parent(s) and possible responses. Use information in the textbook to justify what you would tell the parent. Share your outlines and assess if you pulled out appropriate information from the textbook and made convincing arguments.

Variation:

1. Role-play the above scenario in groups of three to four.
2. Consider a scenario in which a student is struggling in your class but scored high on a standardized test.
3. Explore the World Wide Web looking for sites with information on standardized testing.
4. Ask a K-12 educator or state government officer for sample standardized tests or information. Pass this out in class and share it with class member.
5. Go to a computer lab and search the Internet for examples of performance assessment and respective evaluation methods or scoring grids. Print out any information you can find on the ways to assess or score student work with performance assessment.

Activity 2

Title: Can Tests Be Reliable and Valid?

Instructional Strategy: Critical Thinking

Purpose:

This activity is designed to help students identify the relationship between validity and reliability of standardized tests and performance assessment.

Objectives:

Develop an understanding of the concepts of validity and reliability. Develop an understanding of the relationship between validity and reliability of standardized tests and performance assessment.

Student Activity:

Working in pairs, think about the validity and reliability of standardized tests and performance assessment. Identify what evidence is used to justify that standardized tests and performance assessments are valid and reliable. Which of the two is more valid and reliable? In your pairs, create a standardized test and performance assessment test, and then prepare comments to share with the class regarding the strengths and limitations of each form of assessment.

Variation:

1. Work in teams of three to five organized by major (e.g., Math, English, PE, etc.). Create a performance assessment for your respective subjects and act it out. The rest of the class provides feedback.
2. Read articles about standardized testing and performance assessment. Form groups of debate teams, groups of two to three students, one group favoring more performance assessment in schools and one group against. Conduct debate and after ten minutes switch roles and then come to compromise.
3. Brainstorm in a round robin fashion all the benefits of performance assessment. Then do a reverse brainstorm on all the ways performance assessment might be harmful to teaching and learning.