11/15/09
Dear Lake Roosevelt Students, Parents, Staff, and Community,
This coming week, we are looking forward to student/teacher/parent
conferences on the 18th, 19th, and 20th. Sessions begin at 1:00
p.m. and end at 4:00. On the 19th, there are also evening conferences
from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity to carefully
study the growth that students are making, areas of special strengths
or difficulties, and ways to help students get the most out of their
high school programs. Unless we share in student focused discussions,
it really is hard to know what students want and expect from school.
The more information our parents, students, faculty, and staff exchange
about students’ goals, the easier it is to help them see how
school subjects like math, woodshop, business lab, foods, or social
studies relate to their future plans.
On 11/10, Fred Brenize, a career counselor from Spokane, met with
all seniors in Mr. Wilson’s Current World Problems classes.
Fred came to help students understand the meaning of their ASVAB
scores. The series of tests covers topics like word and math knowledge,
general science, arithmetic reasoning, and mechanical comprehension.
Fred also gave each student a very helpful booklet entitled Exploring
Careers.
The booklet helps a person understand how their academic and practical
abilities apply to the world of work. It also cites several job
information resources that are available in hard copy and on-line.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is published by the U.S.
Department of Labor with updates every two years. It lists educational
requirements, salary levels, and employment prospects for thousands
of jobs available in the U.S.
Another extensive job information resource is O*NET OnLine. You
can goggle both the OOH and O*NET and tap into extensive and accurate
job information. All of this service is provided at no cost. Mr.
Brenize said that any time we have three or more persons who want
to take the ASVAB; he will send a test administrator to the school.
Usually, we offer the test once a year in the Fall to seniors and
juniors who want to take it. When I compared the ASVAB scores with
SAT scores, there was a definite positive correlation between the
two. Most students were very attentive and cooperative during their
session with Mr. Bernize. If any adults would like more information
about the ASVAB or related topics, please call the Counseling office
(633-1442 x118).
The question always comes up, “Why give students standardized
test?” It is an important question. Having taught classes
on standardized testing to graduate students at WWU, I’ve
shared this question and others with students and scholars for many
years. Testing and the broader topic of student assessment continue
to be a major topic at all levels of education. In part, the fact
that we support our schools with federal, state, and local funds
requires exacting accountability. Is the nation realizing adequate
returns on the funds spent for education? From on-going studies
of educational results, we know that some students tend to do much
better than others. If we begin with something as basic as readiness
tests for students entering kindergarten, we find a great deal of
differences in results. Simply put, there are many individual differences
that become evident at the beginning of a student’s schooling
experiences until the end.
Other fundamental questions that need to be considered include:
* What are students learning and retaining as knowledge and skills
they can use in their lives after graduation? * Are there important
areas of learning that need to be added or expanded in our school
curricula? * Will students be ready to move into the world of work
after completing their K-12 education? * Are students developing
the talents and skills that will allow them to be life-long learners?
* Are students gaining equal access to higher education and the
professions as a result of their education in K-12 schools?
Standardized tests are used as a common measure of growth for students
who have attended a wide variety of schools. If all we had were
grades assigned by teachers, how could we compare the knowledge
and skills of students as diverse as those who attend LR and those
enrolled in high schools in Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle or Spokane?
By giving students the same test, administered under the same conditions
(all receive the same directions, all have the same time limits,
etc.) it is possible to see how LR students score compared to students
from all parts of the U.S. Colleges use standard measures (and other
types of information) when deciding whom to select. Scholarship
committees use test results when selecting students for awards.
Few if any wise educators use ONLY a standard measure to assess
students’ abilities. I recall a statement repeated many times
by a distinguished professor, M. Clemens Johnson, at the University
of Michigan: “The best human measurements we have are crude
at best.” True enough.
We cannot put too much confidence in one test or another. However,
because a test is not perfect, we don’t do ourselves or anyone
else a service by refusing to use it. There are good tests that
have been carefully researched for many years to determine their
accuracy and effectiveness. Similarly, good assessments are comprehensive
and include information from many sources. They include teacher
assessments and grades, parent assessments and observations, and
students’ input too. Human intelligence is very complex and
many aspects of intelligence are not measured by educators or tests.
However, we must strive to develop accurate and useful information
about students, teachers, and schools. We invite all parents and
guardians to take an active role in the conferences that are scheduled
every year.
Finally, we invite parents and guardians to come to the LR Library
at 6:00p.m. on 11/19/09 to receive and share information about getting
students ready to apply to college.
Sincerely,
Sue Hayes,
Counselor
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