Week 5 – Discussion 1

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Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

 Standardized Achievement Tests

Chapter 9 of your course text discusses standardized assessments and explains the difference in the types of standardized assessments. It is important to understand that assessments are standardized when “the same procedures are used every time the test is given” (Howard, V. F., & Aiken, E., 2015, p. 331). Developing the understanding that there are many types of standardized assessments, such as screeners and diagnostic assessments covered in the previous weeks of class, is equally important. Another type of standardized assessment, and one that is hotly debated in education today, is achievement testing. Specifically, achievement testing “is used to measure children’s progress and compare it to other children of the same age” ((Howard, V. F., & Aiken, E., 2015, p. 331)). It is this type of standardized assessment that is our focus for this first discussion post.

To prepare for this discussion, read the “Something’s wrong with both standardized tests and the ‘Opt-Out’ movement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” article. Include the following in your initial post:

• Explain, in your own words, what standardized testing is and how it is different from achievement testing.    
• Compare and contrast how the different types standardized testing differs from the other forms of assessment discussed throughout this course. Provide specific examples and support your points with information from the course text.
• Defend one of the quotes below from the article Something’s wrong with both standardized tests and the ‘Opt-Out’ movement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Explain why you support or agree with the quote and provide specific details as to why. Support this portion of your post with the text and at least one scholarly resource.
  • Option One: “Federally mandated standardized testing was born from a desire to guarantee the right to individuality and autonomy across socio-economic bounds.” – Jordan Shapiro
  • Option Two: “When seen from a desk of a federal bureaucrat, standardized tests make more children stand out.” –Jordan Shapiro
  • Option Three: “When seen from the desk-chair of a classroom pupil, children are robbed of the individuality that comes from differentiated instruction.” – Jordan Shapiro
• Propose a solution to the standardized achievement testing debate. How do you feel children should be assessed in both early childhood and beyond? Provide a rationale for your solution.

Guided Response: Review several of your peers’ responses. Respond to at least two of your peers who chose a different quote from the Shapiro article than you did. Comment on the solid points in their argument, pointing out why the points they made are valid. Finally explain how, no matter the varied views of standardized assessments, each teacher and caregiver can uphold their responsibility to conduct assessments in an ethical manner. Cite specific examples from the Joint Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. document (pages 2-4) that support how your classmate’s point of view regarding standardized testing aligns with this statement.

Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. Remember, continuing to engage with peers and the instructor will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with this topic.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2015/04/25/somethings-wrong-with-both-standardized-tests-and-the-opt-out-movement/#4a33eca679f3

https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/pscape.pdf