“Educational Assessment.” Narr. Larry Jacobs. Education Talk Radio. Blogtalkradio. EduTalk, Swampscott, 26 Oct. 2010. Educational Assessment with Larry Jacobs. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
In this online radio broadcase, the host, Larry Jacobs, interviews Scott Elliott about current assessment trends. Elliott, president of SEG Measurement, an Education Assessment and Research Firm, works with thirty states in an attempt to standardize Educational standards for secondary and elementary education.
Elliott believes that reaching common state education standards is important, as many families are forced to move in this economy to find work. When students change states, they may be underprepared or overprepared in their new state if standards are not equivalent. He believes that we, as a country, must unite in order to compete against other talented countries, especially in a time where the rate of knowledge is changing at a rapid pace. Standards must constantly change to reflect this accelerating pace of new knowledge.
Elliott’s company, SEG of New Hope, PA, is working to change textbooks to reflect changing standards, and Elliott also notes that online test delivery is becoming more prominent. He concludes by asserting that we need teachers of all levels to get on the same page as far as assessment is concerned so that we can assess students based on their abilities instead of varying state standards. He urges listeners to agree that states must agree on common standards if we want to help our students succeed academically.
What are my thoughts? It sounds good in theory, but I worry that some states’ standards will become lower in an attempt to standardize them with other states. Actual standardization seems quite impossible. Think of school districts in the same states and how different their expectations are. For example, even within the same state, one student in school X may receive a 3.5 GPA, and a student from school Y may receive a 3.5 GPA but not know as much as the first student. I think that standardization seems like a logical concept, but when implemented, I worry that it could stifle students (kind of like an ill-constructed rubric). I think this is why college entrance requirements often look at more than one criteria (standardized tests, essays, GPA, extracurricular activities, etc.).
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