[NIFL-FOBASICS:889] RE: Managing Statistics/Teaching to

From: Ellie Drago-Severson (seversel@gse.harvard.edu)
Date: Thu Dec 11 2003 - 13:32:46 EST


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From: Ellie Drago-Severson <seversel@gse.harvard.edu>
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Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:889] RE: Managing Statistics/Teaching to
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Thanks Jenni!

--On Thursday, December 11, 2003 1:14 PM -0500 Jennifer Roloff 
<roloffje@gse.harvard.edu> wrote:

> You should be able to go to the NIFL website (www.nifl.gov) and click on
> Links, I believe. There should be something about the person to whom you
> should send your request. It's something like listproc@nifl.gov... Good
> luck
>
> On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 12:37:07 -0500 (EST)
>   "Le, Nhi" <Nhi.Le@pfizer.com> wrote:
>> I've asked someone on this mailing list to give me more information on
>> what this organization is; however he did not respond.
>>
>> How can I get off this mailing list?
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Nixon S. Griffis [mailto:ngriffis@bellsouth.net]
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:52 AM
>> To: Multiple recipients of list
>> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:871] RE: Managing Statistics/Teaching to the
>> test
>>
>>
>> Welcome to the wonderful world of education Mr. Boone. Teaching to the
>> test is more and more part of the curriculum by necessity for many
>> teachers.
>>
>> Suggestion 1.	Duplicate each question couching that question in different
>> forms. Make twenty examples of such a question. Then drill your students
>> over and over again until each student is capable of answering that
>> question. Math and language are the easiest to accomplish. Usage, grammar
>> mechanics, math solutions are logical and can be set out in rule form.
>> Reading is much more difficult because of the subtle skills needed to be
>> developed over long terms of time in order to build comprehension and
>> speed. See suggestion 2. for Reading. Oh yes, because you will have
>> M(6-7grade), D(8-10)and A(11-12) level students you will need to have
>> three sets of curriculum.
>>
>> Suggestion 2.  Go through the TABE test and pick out keywords and words
>> that are at a level that indicates to you that your students need to see
>> their definitions. Teach those words to your students. It will amaze you
>> how easily you can spot these words after working with your students for
>> a bit of time.
>>
>>	Reading's largest factor, after being able to call words, is made up
>> of our
>> ability to give our minds the proper definition of words that are being
>> used in the text. This is meekly known as vocabulary, these days. TABE
>> can only choose a small fraction of vocabulary and keywords in its'
>> tests. That, I believe, is  why reading assessment tests are so inept at
>> showing progress. The odds are infinitely small, given the number of
>> words in our language, that your students will have looked up the words
>> contained in the test.
>>
>>	We are still in such a state of development on this subject that I
>> do not
>> even think anyone has made an official ruling as to if teaching the
>> specific vocabulary of the TABE is allowed.
>>
>>	Anyone out there know about this issue?
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of
>> Richard T. Boone
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 9:36 AM
>> To: Multiple recipients of list
>> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:869] Managing Statistics
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I run a small computerized Workplace Literacy lab and have several
>> questions.
>> I hope I may receive some feedback on the following topics.
>>
>> 1)	Students are referred to me for a 30-60 day time period to "bring
>> their
>> scores up", so they may enter some form of training. What would be
>> considered a normative increase in TABE scores for students averaging 20
>> hours a week in the lab?
>> I do realize that "I am teaching to the TABE", but I see no alternative
>> given the short time periods.
>>     2)   Every 50 hours I am supposed to retest students giving the
>> complete TABE battery. Several students will drop out right after
>> retesting; they know they have done poorly even before the tests are
>> scored. How do you deal with this problem?
>>
>> 2)	I am highly dependant on state, labor and county officials for
>> referrals.
>> It appears that their job criteria demand that data management is the
>> overriding concern. The "goals" of students must be met at close to a
>> 100% success rate, so data must be managed to accomplish this success
>> rate. How do others deal with this?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________________________________________
>> Sent via the Vineland WebMail system at vineland.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> Jennifer Roloff Welch
> Doctoral Student in Learning and Teaching
> Harvard Graduate School of Education



Ellie Drago-Severson, Ed.D.
Lecturer in Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
219 Longfellow Hall, Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138
Voicemail: 617.496.4963
Fax: 617.864.1315



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