We have read stories in the news about the detrimental effects of high-stakes testing on kindergarteners, third graders, and high schoolers, and I have recently written about what we need to do to help our students pass these tests. What I don’t see are the stories about my middle schoolers, who are taking annual Oklahoma Core Curriculum […]
Who Should Control The Standards In Our Schools?
It seems more and more people are getting on the bandwagon racing away from national standards, Common Core “State” Standards, and the associated high-stakes testing. As the writer of the Tulsa-based education blog Blue Cereal Education states: To be sure, nationalized tests and oppressive curriculum requirements are a disaster. Forget Common Core – ANY standardization of what […]
How (And Why) To Prepare Students For High-Stakes Testing
I think we can all agree that: High-Stakes Tests will most likely be here to stay for awhile. This is not a dragon that we can slay in just a day. High-Stakes Tests such as the OCCT, the high school EOIs, and even the ACT all test one thing: The student’s ability to take a multiple […]
Tulsa Student Earns Perfect ACT Score: Takes Credit For Being Prepared
Two Tulsa students scored a perfect 36 on the ACT — each on their first try, according to a recent article published in the Tulsa World. Was this a result of the students’ teachers using Marzano’s best practices on them? Did they have nothing but superior teachers on the Tulsa TLE? Did high-stakes tests prepare these […]
Upcoming #OklaEd Chat: Remodeling High-Stakes Tests (HSTs)
Remodeling High-Stakes Tests is the topic of the #OklaEd chat scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11. The chat will be hosted by University of Oklahoma Ph.D graduate John R. Walkup, owner of The Standards Company, which provides professional development on Cognitive Rigor. You can preview Sunday’s questions here. Michelle WatersI am a secondary English […]