Is this allowed? Standardized test question

[lauren]

My son (grade 3) has been taking a standardized test this week called the Terra Nova. I have heard of teaching to the test, but he stated that several times the teacher came up to his paper and pointed to things he had down that were wrong, and he was allowed to correct them. Has anyone ever heard of this being allowed during standardized testing? (back when I took these tests there was no communication between anyone). Is this teacher cheating? What would people do?

[Mothra]

Yes, the teacher is cheating if she is telling him to correct incorrect answers. I would call a conference with the teacher and the principal to discuss it. Maybe he meant that she corrected him on the use of the Scantron or something, but you definitely need to investigate it.

[onlyboys]

Yes, this is illegal.

When I was a teacher, we didn't even proctor our own students testing, just because the temptation to "help" is strong.

I agree with calling a conference.

[Kari_mom]

While I agree that it is not appropriate, I am not so sure I would call the teacher on it. I would imagine that she/he could become very defensive about the cheating if it is true, and your son would be put in the middle of it. It is essentially his word against his teacher's word.

My reaction would depend first on my relationship with the teacher and my relationship with the principal, and how great I think they are at their jobs. Is this teacher a person who you think would cheat? Is the teacher or principal new and worried about their performance evaluations? Is this one more example of a problem that has become apparent with the teacher? Will they even be back next year?

I would also consider the impact of false high scores for my child and for the school. If my child was a high achiever and the cheating just raised his scores higher, for example, the impact would be less than if I felt that a false score would mean that he would not receive extra help in a subject difficult for him. Is your school on academic alert or otherwise in trouble? Covering up by falsifying test scores is serious and the principal may not be high enough to deal with the problem.

Just my thoughts. I would make my first concern my child and the immediate impact raising the issue will have for him. Even waiting until the end of school at this point may be a better option.

And of course, how do you explain your teacher's actions to your son from an ethical point of view....

Good luck.

[shelbean91]

Yes, she's cheating, and I've found that in some schools, that's encouraged these days. In a lot of instances, teachers and principals raises and bonuses, as well as a school's rating are based on the scores of these tests, thanks to No Child Left Behind. You could ask her for clarification, but beyond that, I'm not sure what you could do, if anything. If I had to guess, I would say the principal is aware of what is happening, but would probably not admit that.

[lauren]

Kari mom I think you hit some of the nuances of my hesitation. My son has not had the greatest relationship with this teacher, nor she with him. This is my first experience with standardized tests (they don't start until 3rd grade here) and I don't place a lot of value on them myself. My son however, took them very seriously (even choosing to go to bed early because the teacher said he should!) and I worry more about the impact of her actions on him. As far as I know the school is under no more than the usual lpressure re: the test scores this year, but I know it has been a tough class.

I don't think any placement or remedial help issues flow from this test, but I'm not really sure since I've never been through this. Does anyone else know how they use these tests internally? Will it affect my son somehow? I guess these are questions I need to get up the guts to go ask. ......

Thanks for your replies...they have been very helpful.

[GruppieGirl]

Yes, I used to admisister the Terra Novas.

Was it a "practice test?" Maybe he wasn't "bubbling" correctly?

I would definately call the teacher or stop in to see them afterschool.

[LiamnEmma]

I agree with both Shelbean and Kari_mom. What I did would depend on lots of things. I think though, if it were me, I would likely go to the principal after the testing was over completely, maybe even at the end of the school year. There is soooo much pressure on teachers and schools to have kids do well, and I think cheating has become rampant. I know of teachers who have cheated and I don't even think they are aware that they've cheated. There are so many facets to this problem. One of the facets is that generally teachers are not educated in what "standardized" actually means, so they don't really realize how hands off standardized testing really is...another is the fear of losing their jobs over low scores, and this apparently outweighs the risk of losing their jobs over cheating... Now, none of this is okay at all, but I personally am more concerned about my kid's welfare than I am about a stupid test score or that teacher's job, kwim? So if it comes down to a question of whether or not that teacher can be professional knowing your child tattled on her, I'd personally err on the side of "probably not" and wait it out, then go give my information. But I'd write down the information now that you're being given, date it, and take it in with me. Just my two cents from the perspective of a school employee. I've seen teachers who are totally able to separate the personal from the professional and I've seen teachers make kids pay. It's just like any other job...some of us are better at that kind of stuff than others...

[*Erin*]

it's cheating.
but those standized tests, thanks to ol gwb's "no child left behind" act, determine how much money a school gets allotted for stuff like teacher pay, and "extras" (like crayons and band instruments). i don't know how i'd handle it. i think maybe i'd speak to the teacher first and see what her response is before i went above her head. i know the teachers down here are under tremendous pressure for their kids to preform well on those tests.

[mocha09]

I'm not sure if the Terra Nova is a high stakes test. (a test in which the performance has an effect on funding or on student graduation).

But it may be in your state. (what state do you live in? If you go to your states department of education home page, you can find out which test is the high stakes test) Each state designates their own high stakes test for no child left behind, administered in 4th, 7th, and 10th grades. Because your son is in third, this may be a district mandated test, one in which the students practice for the real deal later, and one which lets administrators and teachers know how well they are doing with the curriculum things.

In WAshington, students get a test called the WASL, but in the grades they don't get the WASL, they sometimes are adminstered the ITBS (depending on the district) so that the district has an idea of which teachers/schools are performing well.

In any event, maybe you could call the teacher and find out what the purpose/stakes of the test are, which would better help you understand her motives for doing what she did. And then maybe say somethign like, "And in standardized tests, the students complete all items completely on their own, with no help and feedback? Or is this test different?" without accusing her of anything.

Hm.