[NIFL-ASSESSMENT:39] Re: question

From: David J. Rosen (djrosen@massed.net)
Date: Wed Nov 07 2001 - 21:38:42 EST


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Dianna,

You wrote:.

> I better understand the reluctance to use alternative assessments when the
> standardized tests are the ones that "matter". Do any of you think there is
> a way to convince the folks who want the numbers that they are not getting
> the whole picture of what we do?

A colleague posed an incisive question in an assessment discussion I attended
this week:  she asked, do you think it is valid to measure writing (for
example, to measure the skills needed to organize an essay) using multiple
choice questions about writing? Is it valid, she asked, to measure English
language learners' oral communication skills on a paper and pencil multiple
choice test?  If not, then what choice do we have other than to use (authentic,
performance-based,) alternative assessments, even if they are costly to develop
and/or  to administer,  in  at least these areas?

David J. Rosen



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