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E T H I C A L T E S T P R E PA R AT I O N I N T H E C L A S S R O O M
Specifically, chapter 1 addresses the history of large-scale assessment in the United States and the impact such assessment can have on students’ educational careers. Chapter 2 addresses our findings and recommendations for ELA. Using the frames for each item type that our study revealed, educators can construct ELA items that reflect the typical form and content of those in large-scale assessments. Chapter 3 addresses our findings and recommendations for mathematics. The diversity of item formats in mathematics did not allow for the more general item-creation guidelines the ELA analysis produced. To facilitate the creation of classroom assessment items in mathematics, we developed a set of templates that represent the most common item formats present within each subcategory (see appendix A, page 187). These templates allow educators to quickly create multiple distinct items that share the same general form and content as the test items in our analysis. Chapter 4 addresses our findings and recommendations for science. For items that draw on students’ knowledge of science, we explain how educators can use proficiency scales to identify and address the most important content. Given the presence of items that do not require prior declarative science knowledge on science tests, we suggest that educators should instruct students to identify this type of item, and we provide strategies for creating items of this type. In chapter 5, we consider the issue of test preparation and how this book forms the basis for an approach that follows the recommendations of those who create large-scale assessments. In chapter 6, we describe a step-by-step process to create a school- or districtwide approach to help K–12 students understand various item formats and gain experience with the critical content educators will assess them on. Additionally, there are two appendices that provide resources and information educators can use to implement the recommendations made in this book. As you engage with the next six chapters, we hope that you will leverage our analysis and recommendations as appropriate to your role as an educator. For K–12 classroom teachers, the recommendations found in the following chapters can be used in at least three transformational ways. First, using the item frames described in chapters 2, 3, and 4 allows teachers to create high-quality assessment items quickly and efficiently. Second, teaching students to use the item frames to create their own test items is a strategy that can deepen students’ understanding of the content, while simultaneously familiarizing them with the structures of the items they’ll encounter on large-scale assessments. Finally, even in grades K–2, the recommendations in the following chapters can inform teachers about which content may take a higher priority over more supplemental content in the standards. For K–12 educational leaders, we encourage you to consider the impact of this book’s recommendations when implemented across an entire school or district. While these practices have the potential to transform classroom instruction, implementing them systemwide across content areas and grade levels can revolutionize educators’ approach to teaching and test preparation.
