History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
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English teacher: Data can drive us down wrong road
- 10-22-2010
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Guest blog by Roxanna Elden/Washington Post
While reviewing a practice passage called “The Night Hunters” for last year’s 9th-grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), I had to peek at the teachers’ guide to check my answer to this question: Which of the owls’ names is the most misleading? I was stuck between (F) the screech owl, because its call rarely approximates a screech, and (I) the long-eared owl, because its real ears are behind its eyes and covered by feathers. The passage explains that owls hear through holes behind their eyes, so the term long-eared owl seemed misleading. Then again, a screech owl that rarely screeches? That is pretty misleading, too. According to the FCAT creators, each question on the practice tests corresponds to a specific reading skill or benchmark. Teachers are supposed to discuss test results in after-school “data chats” and then review weak skills in class. (more…)
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