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Student Assessment Methods

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Submitted By msbonnielane
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Until recently we have just assumed, based on the fact that a student has graduated high school, that they are going on to college with the basic abilities of reading, writing, and arithmetic, yet we are finding that 40 percent of students entering college do not have these basic skills at the college level. We also assumed that if a student obtained a Bachelor’s degree, they were qualified for entry level work. Yet surveyed employers are stating that “that they are not pleased with the level of critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and writing skills recent graduates possess”. What is happening in our classrooms that are hindering students from being successful beyond their school years? This paper will discuss two established methods of assessing student learning, CCSS and PARCC, their strengths and weaknesses as well as discuss issues involving the assessment of student learning.

Standardized Tests
Standardized testing was established under the premise that it would improve teaching practices and methods, therefore improving schools. In essence it is deemed as the “report card for the community” and the efficiency of our schools performance. Besides state specific standardized test, other national standardized tests include: * Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)- administered to students applying to private secondary schools and some public secondary schools

* Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT)- voluntary test given to secondary school students in year 10 or 11 to assist them in preparing for the SAT and to qualify for national merit scholarships

* Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)- a proficiency test designed to measure knowledge and skill in understanding and using written English required of international students

* SAT/ACT

Critics claim that these tests provide the venue

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