Reflection 4: June 13, 2012

Before class, i read through the file posted on canvas, the one Dr. Abeel asked us to print for class.  Some of the applications and the words used were completely shocking.  The fact that many of them asked for a description of appearance is actually not surprising.  I think back to college applications and how some schools ask for pictures to be submitted with the applications, especially for graduate programs.  people are always judged by appearance first.  but this has no influence on the actual abilities of the person.  during class, Dr. Abeel, you mentioned watching the talent television show and how a young man that appeared to be dark/gothic ended up being a very talented opera singer.  this just goes to show how image can be decieving and how important it is to encourage giftedness no matter what the person looks like.

We discussed the issues with regard to standardized testing and the arbitrary scoring requirements.  I knew the SOL was a poor example of a good measurement for testing standards.  The scoring is especially shocking.  I come from a science background, and I realize the need for good measurements and keeping the range of error as small as possible.  For a test to have a +/- 25 point margin of error is crazy.  how can a test with this much error truly measure a student's knowledge.  that means that anyone with a score within this range belowe 400 points could actually have passed the test.  With a score below 400, they did not pass, and could actualy be held back. 

This also leads to the issue of one test determining the future of a student.  How can one single test tell us as educators whether the student knows and understands the curriculum.  Isn't the testing and work he or she did throughout the year a better instrument?  A portfolio of work would be better, or even using this test as a small part of the procedure.