ED 503: Educational PsychologyMonday, June 20, 2011 (8:00 p.m. ET)

Unit 9 High Stakes Learning & Assessment/ NCLB

Readings and Discussion Board: High Stakes Testing, Home Schooling, NCLB

US Dept of Education: http://ed.gov/nclb/accountability/ayp/testing-faq.html

Assaf, L. (2006). One reading specialist’s response to high-stakes testing pressures. International Reading Association, pages 158-167.

Major Assignments: ePortfolio (Unit 8)- ReviewConstructivist Lesson Plan (Unit 9)This week’s seminar- Impact of tests on teaching: http://www.bc.edu/research/nbetpp/statements/nbr2press.pdf

Upcoming Attractions: Reflection on meeting course goals

Tonight’s agenda

Readings and Discussion Board: High Stakes Testing, Home Schooling, NCLB

Poll: Home school/ financing for charter & private schools/ options

US Dept of Education: http://ed.gov/nclb/accountability/ayp/testing-faq.htmlAssaf, L. (2006). One reading specialist’s response to high-stakes testing

pressures. International Reading Association, pages 158-167. Personal experiences with this issue? Personal research in Virginia schools with CRISS strategies vs. test preparation.

This week’s seminar- Impact of tests on teaching: http://www.bc.edu/research/nbetpp/statements/nbr2press.pdf -- survey shows change in teaching practices.

Tonight’s readings & discussion

Unit 9 DB: High Stakes Assessment

• “Your public middle school has earned failing grades for two years on state performance exams. In this discussion board, you are to answer the following question from the perspective of one of the following: policy maker, parent, student, teacher, principal, superintendent or board of education member as assigned by your instructor. Do high stakes assessments improve learning? Articulate and defend your position from your assigned stakeholder’s point of view.

• Is No Child Left Behind Irretrievably flawed? Articulate and defend your position from your stakeholder’s point of view .

• Standardized tests are… a one time snap shot of the student knowledge at that point in time.  The NCLB law has make it very important to show the federal government that students are learning.  [We could have] have quarterly assessments that align with the subject material that was taught. – Walter HallFinally it is either you get it or you don't due to the strict time table that you are held to. I feel it would be more beneficial if you could afford to spend the time to allow students to master the content. –Sheila Oby

• I believe teachers are spending too much time on test taking skills than working on learning objectives.  Nichols and Berliner shared a report from a Colorado teacher who talked about hatching baby chicks in class and now… feels as if there isn’t enough time for these types of activities due to the high stakes testing. (Noll 2011)  I’m not teaching but if all I do is teach towards tests then I agree that curriculum will be narrowed and student interest is going to be disregarded in the classroom. - Randy Urias

Major Assignments- ePortfolio- due Unit 8- 60 points

• Purpose

• This document contains information on grading requirements and procedures, due dates, the connection to ED503, and the components included as part of this assignment.

•  

• Grading: The ePortfolio assignment is graded on a pass/fail basis, with 60 points given for portfolio assignments that include satisfactory work on the three components listed below.

•  

• Your ePortfolio assignment consists of three components:

•  

• Classroom Management Toolkit

• Innovations in Education

• Career Explorations

What’s Graded?Assignment Due Date Points

Discussion Board Units 1-7 (not graded unit 5)

300 (50 points for each DB unit)

Point/Counterpoint Position Paper

Unit 3 (May 10) 200

Critical Position Paper

Unit 5 (May 24) 200

ePortfolio Unit 8 (June 14) 60

3 week instructional unit

Unit 9 (June 21) 240

• IV. Constructivist Lesson Plan, due Unit 9, 240 Points• Major Assignment: Constructivist Lesson Plan

• Select an academic concept – just one concept, not a related set of concepts – that you hope to teach to students. Specify the grade level. For example, you might select the mathematical concept of measuring perimeter, but not the whole set of concepts related to polygons in geometry. Or you might select the concept of identifying the main idea in a reading passage, but not the whole set of concepts related to reading comprehension.

• Write a lesson plan for teaching the same selected concept to students at the grade level you’ve specified. Incorporate instructional strategies based on

constructivist views of learning. • Answer these questions, drawing upon the Woolfolk text:

– Why are the instructional activities that you have planned appropriate for students at your grade level?

– How have you planned to have students connect what they already know to the new information that you are teaching?

– How are learner differences accommodated in the lesson? – How does this lesson demonstrate constructivist views of learning?

• IV. Instructional Unit, due Unit 9, 300 PointsLesson Format: Learning Objective: Materials/Resources: Key Vocab Terms and

Concepts: Opening Activity: Instruction: Guided Practice: Independent Practice: : Assessment: Emphasize motivation, instructional strategies, assessment, and related activities.

Major Assignments- Keys to Earning Full Credit

• Follow the rubrics!• Start early, ask questions early• Feel free to run ideas by me, ahead of time• Meet the deadlines, but be sure what you turn in is your

best work.

This week- Seminar- Thinking back through Visualization: http://www.bc.edu/research/nbetpp/statements/nbr2press.pdf

This article was published in 2003 by the National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy.

• [p. 2] Elementary and middle school teachers were more positive about school climate than were their high school counterparts. Nonetheless, more elementary and middle school teachers reported that their students are extremely anxious and are under intense pressure because of the state test.*

• Write down how you visualize yourself and your perspective as a secondary student. In other words, if you were a high school student during this time, what might you be thinking/feeling under these circumstances?

• [ [p.2] Items related to pressure on teachers dealt with pressure from administrators and parents to improve test scores, pressure to limit teaching to what is tested, and to change teaching methods in ways that are not beneficial, along with the teachers’ discontent with their profession (low morale or wanting to transfer out of tested grades).*

• Write down how you visualize yourself and your perspective as a secondary student.

This week- Seminar- Thinking back through Visualization: http://www.bc.edu/research/nbetpp/statements/nbr2press.pdf

This article was published in 2003 by the National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy.

• [p. 4] More teachers in states with high stakes for students than in states with lesser stakes indicated that they spent more time on instruction in tested areas and less on instruction in non-core subject areas (e.g., fine arts, physical education, foreign languages, industrial/vocational education) * and on other activities (e.g., field trips, enrichment activities).*

This week- Seminar- Thinking back through Visualization: http://www.bc.edu/research/nbetpp/statements/nbr2press.pdf

This article was published in 2003 by the National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy.

Questions?

Student Optimal Resume- check out the User Guide in

Doc Sharing.

Questions? Unit 10 DB:

Reflect and discuss why an Educational Psychology course is important for aspiring teachers and others who want to work with

course design and instruction.Explain how your work in this course relates to the course outcomes,

the nine program competencies, and the four program goals.