Annotations

  1. (pg.221) “With its mechanical formula, the FPT is the perfect vehicle to ensure inter-rater reliability (consistency amongst test graders), allowing for both efficient and economic scoring sessions for testing companies. ” Writing five paragraphs for an essay was introduced to me when I was in eighth grade. For as long as I could remember, It’s always been this format in high school. It seems familiar to me, it does help me organize my thoughts as well. But I never really thought about the testing companies Makes me question if our education is based on how we take our exams.
  2. (pg.223) “The simple solution to all of these problems would appear to be merely reducing our reliance on, or removing, the FPT from our curricula. However, as long as policymakers rely on standardized writing tests, and those writing assessments rely on the FPT, such a change in curriculum will not be possible.” I find it completely crazy how schools base their whole curriculum so students can pass the exams. A whole misconception I think is whether the  FPT  is effective or not.
  3. (pg.234) “The logic is that teachers and administrators are biased; standardized testing provides a level playing field for everyone involved.”  Standardized tests we see that basically tests everyone, from the district to the school to the teachers and the students. But some may be against my opinions, I truly believe the way we are taught how to perform on an exam is not efficient in the future but it does help you organize your thoughts on paper.
  4. (pg.235) “Which measure is the most accurate predictor of high-school students’ success at the collegiate level? If you answered SAT scores or performance on state-wide assessments, you would be wrong. Time and time again, studies show that a student’s high school GPA is the most accurate predictor of collegiate success!”. Are we serious the GPA is what determines our knowledge of our own education?. Perhaps there are students out there who cant seem to focus to do work and do well on exams but mainly the lessons could be inside their mind. I don’t believe we should be tested to find out how smart we are, I believe some students suffer from taking exams and we don’t see their full potential.
  5. (pg.234) “The manner in which we assess writing will always exert a tremendous influence over how we teach writing. Since, for inter-rater reliability and economic purposes, standardized testing relies on the FPT, the only sure-fire way to reduce—or eradicate—the use of the FPT in our curriculums is to reduce or eradicate our reliance on standardized testing.” The way we assess our writing is literally based off of the exams. Makes you wonder what kind of writing is valid or not.