tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post4122818670774098997..comments2024-03-29T01:46:51.442-04:00Comments on Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: You cannot be forced to take the racist testsLisa Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-50725844957748643972011-05-05T08:27:46.280-04:002011-05-05T08:27:46.280-04:00Parents do not have much of an option in FL. Kids...Parents do not have much of an option in FL. Kids who do not pass are automatically placed in remedial classes for the full next year. Also, they fail the grade if they do not pass 3rd grade testing. They cannot graduate high school unless they pass 10th grade FCAT. Supposedly, they can take the SAT instead but that costs money. Plus, I do not know if they would be ok missing that many days in high school. The test is given in parts over 2 weeks. Then there is a make up day or two. It'd be tough to boycott the FCAT.Clarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04444960601286687780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-36457135155797706042011-05-02T10:55:51.651-04:002011-05-02T10:55:51.651-04:00No. I didn't refute my own argument. First, ...No. I didn't refute my own argument. First, I wrote it is not "primarily." although there are elements that absolutely are. The primary issue though is what is mentioned in the four reasons. I have done research. There's always more that can be done of course. Regardless of anything new I read I am convinced that tests serve as gatekeepers, unjustifiably leaving many behind.Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-5103300606009223122011-05-02T10:39:17.504-04:002011-05-02T10:39:17.504-04:00"The racial and cultural bias is not primaril..."The racial and cultural bias is not primarily lodged in the content of test items." <br /><br />You just refuted your own argument. The tests are not racist. Do a little research yourself, I would suggest reading some of Steele & Aronson's work on Stereotype Threat...very interesting reading.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-14560617789573493002011-05-02T08:41:50.174-04:002011-05-02T08:41:50.174-04:00@Anonymous, Absolutely racist. Do a little resear...@Anonymous, Absolutely racist. Do a little research on your own to find out more about that. Here is a starter from this link: http://www.educationanddemocracy.org/SF/test_validity.htm<br /><br />The racial and cultural bias is not primarily lodged in the content of test items.<br /><br />What makes standardized tests racist is:<br /><br />1. Disproportionate (ratio: approx. 30% to 70+%) test failure rates for persons of color and English language learners as compared to white native English speakers.<br /><br />2. The tests encourage retention which disproportionately effects African-Americans and Latinos. Retention contributes to academic failure rather than to success in school. A single grade retention increases the chances that a student will drop out by 50%. A second retention increases the risk by 90%.<br /><br />3. Since there is no demonstrable connection between performance on a standardized test and a person’s actual academic achievement, to deny a person access to educational opportunities on the basis of test scores alone is to institutionalize racism.<br /><br />4. The technology of standardized tests creates and inflates differences that have little or no educational significance. The actual ‘race gap’ in scores is about 10% (range of 8 -15% regardless of the test.) On a 50 item multiple choice test this represents a difference of 2–4 test items.Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-33302000551764741192011-05-02T08:20:59.118-04:002011-05-02T08:20:59.118-04:00"Way out of the box" indeed...and off th..."Way out of the box" indeed...and off the deep end. I don't agree with the ridiculous emphasis placed on these high-stakes tests either, but "racist"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com