Timed essay tests can be a particularly challenging aspect of any educational journey, whether you’re still in school or taking standardized tests for college. Preparation, strategy, and technique are crucial to achieving your best score. Here are five dos and don’ts to help you conquer the timed essay test.
1. DO: Plan Your Time Effectively
One of the most significant aspects of a timed essay is effective time management. Start by breaking down the allotted time into segments to plan, write, and review your essay. For example, if you have an hour, spend 10-15 minutes planning your response, 30-40 minutes writing and 10 minutes reviewing.
DON’T: Procrastinate or Waste Time on Inconsequential Details
When you have limited time, every second counts. Avoid spending too much time perfecting one sentence or deliberating over a single idea. Focus on conveying your main points concisely and clearly.
2. DO: Outline Your Argument
Before diving into writing your essay, take a moment to brainstorm your main points and supporting evidence. Create a roadmap with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. This outline will keep your writing focused and organized.
DON’T: Dive Straight Into Writing Without a Plan
Starting to write without a clear outline can lead to disorganized thoughts and subsequent loss of precious minutes as you try to restructure your argument mid-essay.
3. DO: Stay Calm and Address the Prompt Directly
Remain calm during the test and ensure that your response directly addresses the prompt. Stay on topic by offering clear examples that support your thesis and demonstrate your understanding of the subject matter.
DON’T: Get Overwhelmed by Pressure or Drift Off-Topic
Resist the urge to panic or get lost in tangents in a bid to fulfill the essay’s word count. Stay focused on the question and your planned response.
4. DO: Write Clearly, Concisely, and Persuasively
Once your argument is outlined, use clear language to state your case. Make every sentence count and ensure that they contribute to building a persuasive narrative.
DON’T: Use Filler Words or Complicated Jargon
Rework sentences that are overly complex or filled with jargon since they can detract from your argument. Be concise and to-the-point to make sure your writing flows easily.
5. DO: Review Your Essay for Mistakes and Clarity
After writing your essay, use any remaining time to proofread for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Clarify unclear sentences and ensure that your argument remains strong from start to finish.
DON’T: Neglect the Revision Process
While it may be tempting to submit your essay as soon as you’ve finished writing, a quick revision can make all the difference in catching small errors or inconsistencies that might impact your score.
Conclusion:
By following these dos and don’ts, you’ll be well-prepared to conquer any timed essay test. Plan and manage your time effectively, outline a coherent argument, stay focused on the prompt, write persuasively, and review meticulously to demonstrate mastery of both content and form.
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, many concerns have emerged about the efficacy of testing students in an unprecedented time of crisis. A group of dedicated and concerned teachers took a step forward by creating a petition to stop standardized testing during the pandemic, advocating for alternative approaches to measure student growth and achievements amidst these challenging times.
The petition, started by educators from various states in the United States, has quickly gained traction and support from fellow teachers, parents, and educational organizations. According to their claims, standardized testing during the pandemic puts immense pressure on both teachers and students, causing unnecessary stress while compromising quality education.
The Concerns Over Testing During the Pandemic
These educators argue that standardized testing for students during a global crisis is not only unfair but irrelevant given the current circumstances. With schools around the world forced to adapt to remote and hybrid learning models within a short timeframe, it is evident that these tests would not be indicative of students’ true potential.
Additionally, they point out that remote learning platforms have widened existing inequalities between low-income and affluent communities. Many low-income families lack stable internet connections and resources required to succeed in remote learning environments, further disadvantaging these already marginalized students.
Advocating for Alternative Assessment Methods
The petition calls for a suspension of all standardized tests nationwide until the pandemic is under control. Instead, they propose implementing alternative assessment methods that focus on each student’s individual progress within their unique learning context.
Educators behind this movement emphasize that assessments should be tailored in such a way that they help both teachers and students identify their strengths and weaknesses while providing meaningful feedback for growth. Potential alternatives include project-based assessments, portfolio reviews, progress reports, or even oral presentations conducted via video calls.
At its core, this petition seeks to prioritize the well-being and mental health of all students as they navigate through unprecedented times. Supporters believe that suspending high-stakes testing would help mitigate stress levels and allow students and teachers to focus on more critical aspects of learning during this challenging period.
Conclusion
The petition started by a passionate group of educators is a bold call to action for school districts and lawmakers to reconsider the importance of standardized testing amid COVID-19. By advocating for alternative assessment methods that are cognizant of the unique challenges students face, these teachers hope that the future of education can become more flexible, inclusive, and effective in promoting true learning and growth.
The world of education has been a constant process of evolution, adapting to the needs and demands of an ever-changing society. In recent years, standardized testing has been a hot topic for educators, students, and parents alike, with concerns regarding its effectiveness and impact on student achievement. As we continue to explore new methodologies and approaches to learning, one question remains; could this be the end of standardized testing as we know it?
For decades, standardized testing has played a significant role in measuring student performance, determining admission into colleges, and distributing funding to schools. However, the current educational climate has prompted experts and educators to reevaluate the validity of these tests in assessing the capabilities and potential of tomorrow’s leaders. The shift in focus from test scores to a more holistic view of student development may pave the way to a new era where standardized tests become obsolete.
One factor contributing to this potential change is the growing support for personalized learning. The concept focuses on individual growth, tailored instructions, and diverse assessment tools that seek to nurture each student’s unique skills and talents. Unlike standardized testing, personalized learning recognizes that each learner has
different strengths and weaknesses which cannot be accurately measured through a one-size-fits-all approach.
Another catalyst driving the possibility of eliminating standardized testing is the increased awareness around mental health in students. High-stakes examinations have long been associated with heightened stress levels among students, potentially leading to anxiety disorders and other mental health issues. By eliminating these exams and implementing alternative evaluation methods, educators can create a more supportive environment for students to thrive academically and emotionally.
A significant development that highlights this change in outlook is the growing number of colleges and universities choosing to adopt test-optional admission policies. These institutions no longer require students to submit an SAT or ACT score when applying for admission – instead evaluating applicants based on factors such as grades,
class rank, personal essays, and extracurricular involvement. This shift is a significant example of the move towards a more comprehensive understanding of student potential rather than relying solely on test scores.
The adoption of technology has also played a crucial role in questioning the future of standardized testing. With advancements in artificial intelligence, adaptive learning, and various online platforms, tech-driven innovations have transformed how students learn and engage with educational material. These modern tools present opportunities to develop assessments that cater to individual needs while providing educators with real-time insights into each student’s progress.
In conclusion, the end of standardized testing as we know it may be more plausible than ever before. As educators and institutions continue to prioritize personalized learning experiences, mental well-being, and alternative evaluation methods enhanced by technology, our reliance on standardized tests may eventually fade. However, for now, it remains an ongoing debate as we collectively seek to transform education for the better.
Formative assessments help teachers analyze the particular topics that students are struggling with. They can target the learning progress of students through different means to get feedback from the students.
The feedback is formally known to be the formative assessment, which can be in the form of an essay, journal entries, worksheets, research papers, projects, ungraded quizzes and tests, lab results, presentations, or even art.
Formative Assessment Reform
Formative assessment has only been around since the 1960s. This assessment method is now considered to be outdated by many experts. However, many schools still practice the concept of formative assessment.
Their reasons for still using the concept of formative assessment may appear to be valid because educators can track their students’ progress and improve them significantly as they assess them midway through their learning.
Many researchers and educators are now questioning the concept of formative assessment for similarly valid reasons. Another assessment system may be produced due to the drawbacks of the formative assessment system.
Why Use Formative Assessment?
Formative assessment helps teachers better analyze their teaching progress, but often, students also find the assessment beneficial. They can understand better where they stand from a different perspective.
Direct students towards critical thinking and improve their learning progress rather than focus on grades or extrinsic rewards
Encourage students to perform better rather than dwell on their weakness
Provide students with a detailed concept of the topics at hand
Speed up the learning progress of children who are lagging behind the rest of their peers
Measures To Assess Students
Many educators follow the following steps to assess their students through formative assessment.
They gather their feedback on the topics that have already been taught in class through various methods. This way, they can understand what topics their students are struggling with the most.
At the end of every class, teachers collect slips to ask students to jot down what they learned from the class. These slips are collected by the teachers and then assessed to analyze if the classes fulfill the children’s learning needs.
They allow students to speed up where they feel they are lagging in the classroom.
Concluding Thoughts
Many teachers focus on assessing their students through various grading systems. Although assessing students is not necessarily a bad idea, teachers make a few mistakes unknowingly along the way.
Teachers who focus on formative assessment to track their students’ progress use a variety of methods to evaluate their student’s comprehension, learning skills, and academic progress.
Every class has its share of challenging students. If you feel frustrated with the behavior issues that you have to handle, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone—handling behavior issues comes with the job description. Experienced teachers also have trouble managing talkative students, power struggles and disputes among students. Behavior Management: A Whole-School Approach, a book authored by behavior management expert Bill Rogers, delineates how to handle tough behaviors. Typical classroom behaviors and strategies for handling them are detailed below.
Talking in Class
The nonstop talking of a chatterbox can distract other students from concentrating on their work. This is something that you can tackle by giving positive instructions and avoiding negative ones. Rather than using a “no talking” approach, direct instructions to specific students, and ask them to “remain quiet.” Follow this with a “thanks” to indicate that your request has been met. If the talking takes place while you are speaking, simply stop speaking. This works as a reminder to students that they are supposed to listen and not talk among themselves.
Power Struggle
Some students refuse to concentrate on their work and complete it as a way to pull the teacher into a power struggle. Do not fall into this trap at any time. Give students choices with consequences attached. Let them know that if the work is not completed within a specified time, they will miss free time or face other consequences. This puts the responsibility of their behavior on them and teaches them to make choices at the same time. Make sure to show appreciation to students with a smile or a “thank you,” if they make the right choice.
Arguments Galore
Students who challenge everything the teacher says or does can distract the class by forcing it to focus on secondary issues. It might be difficult not to reprimand a defiant student, however getting defensive or adopting a hostile attitude is not likely to solve the issue. Remain assertive and civil and focus on the primary issue. Repeated instances like these may require and “after class” discussion with the student to explain how the behavior spoils the relationships with you and interferes with learning time of his/her peers.
Brooding
Sulking behavior is also a distraction for the teacher. This is one behavior that needs to be nipped in the bud immediately. Have a private discussion with the student as soon as you observe this behavior. You might have to demonstrate the student’s behavior and mannerisms to him in order to clearly explain his behavior. More often than not, brooding students are unable to understand that they are being rude or socially unacceptable.
Over Dependence
A student who requests assistance all the time may be doing so out of a need for attention or may genuinely not be able to accomplish the task on his/her own. Assess the reason behind the clinging habit before you address it. Try ignoring the persistent calls to look at the work for a while, and when he/she waits patiently, reward him/her by looking at the work enthusiastically. Another strategy is to have students ask their peers before they speak to you for clarification.
Given that these are the five most persistent and frustrating issues most teachers face, adopting the right strategy for handling them should ensure that you have a class that is well behaved.
New more hands on help? Here is an amazing video from the American Psychological Association for teachers looking for tips on how to deal with challenging behaviors.
These are tests used to determine whether a student is experiencing learning difficulties. Trained professionals usually administer these. Diagnostic tests directly guide academic, instructional, and curricular decisions because there’s a better comprehension of what a student does or doesn’t know in relation to particular learning goals.
Important features of diagnostic tests include:
· Diagnostic tests focus on an individual’s learning deficiency or educational weakness and identify the learning gaps in students
· Diagnostic tests are often limited to low ability students
· These tests pinpoint the particular types of error each student is making and look for the underlying causes of the problem
Teachers often administer diagnostic tests for reading and math skills, utilizing the results to provide remedial instruction or place pupils within appropriately leveled classes. Diagnostic tests for reading provide particular information about students’ reading skills. Students take the test in groups or individually. Some tests require interaction with a test proctor, while others are computer-based. These tests are designed to identify at what grade level kids are reading based on their mastery of blending, phonics, word recognition, and text comprehension. Ideally, a student entering a grade should demonstrate reading skills typical of that grade, meaning a fifth grader shouldn’t use sound-out techniques like a first grader. When teachers identify students are reading below grade level, they usually implement interventions designed to strengthen the missing skills.
Diagnostic tests for maths typically provide a level for a kid’s mathematical skills, not just related to grade level but also math topic. Schools often use these tests to place pupils in appropriate math classes. However, educators use math diagnostic tests to improve student achievement by motivating high achievers and offering remedial instruction to struggling students.
Conceptual diagnostic tests aim to reveal whether students hold common misconceptions about a subject. Answer choices on these multiple-choice tests are designed to activate common misconceptions about a particular discipline, thus ensuring the pupils have a clear understanding of the concept. Conceptual diagnostic tests pinpoint weak areas of key understanding by assessing students’ knowledge of a topic.
Despite the advantages offered by diagnostic tests, there’re some drawbacks too. These include:
· The importance of diagnostic tests may get diminished in large groups
· A teacher may develop inappropriate assumptions about a student’s knowledge of a subject and overlook that specific topic during the unit
· Special training may be required to administer diagnostic tests correctly and reliably
This is a type of test where the students are not held to a collective standard but are expected to reach a standard that is above a specific predetermined percentage. This is usually for individualized forms of education or testing objectives with definite results. The test designers analyze the components of specific academic skills and then write the test items that’ll measure whether or not the student has mastered all the components of the skill.
A test of reading skills will seek to find out whether a student can identify the particular sounds consonants make before it’ll evaluate whether a pupil can answer comprehension questions. The questions seek to discover if the student has the skills, not whether the pupil does as well as other students in the same grade. A criterion-referenced test provides important information that the teacher can utilize to design particular instructional strategies to help the students succeed.
A criterion-referenced test for maths should reflect the sequence and scope of state standards (like the common core state standards). It’ll reflect the skills needed at any age. As kids grow, they’re expected to acquire new skills in a reasonable order that builds on previous levels of skill acquisition. State high-stakes tests of achievement are examples of criterion-referenced tests that are aligned with a state’s standards. They measure whether kids have actually mastered the skills suggested for the students’ specific grade level.
Criterion-referenced tests have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include:
· Criterion-referenced tests are more effective than norm-referenced tests to track pupils’ progress within a curriculum. Teachers can design test items to match particular program objectives. The scores indicate how well the student can correctly answer questions on the topic being studied.
· Every teacher must assess student progress. Teachers can develop criterion-referenced tests at the classroom level. If the standards aren’t met, they can specifically diagnose the deficiencies. Additionally, they can quickly obtain test results to provide students with feedback on their performance.
The disadvantages include:
· Creating criterion-referenced tests that are both reliable and valid requires a significant amount of time and effort. Moreover, results cannot be generalized beyond the particular course or program. These tests are specific to a program, and teachers cannot use them to measure the performance of a large group of students.
· Item analysis is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of individual test items. The teacher must know how the analysis of criterion-referenced tests differs from norm-referenced tests.
Assessment has been an education hot button since the day the first one room schoolhouse sent home the first report card, and probably even before then. And while questions about what is measured, how we do it what it means will persist, assessment as we know it today probably won’t.
Already, the very meaning of assessment is moving away from the counting of right and wrong answers on a common, standardized test. It’s moving, experts say, to be increasingly driven by computer and Artificial Intelligence systems that can make assessment more adaptive to each student, includes more means of measurement than just testing, and makes assessment both more accurate and more efficient – increasing information while cutting the time to administer and grade a test.
Those experts–the ones with that vision for the future for education assessment–will meet on June 10-13 in Minneapolis as part of the International Association for Computerized Adaptive Testing (IACAT) 2019 Conference. When they do, it may be the most important meeting about assessment in a generation.
Sponsored in part by big names such as Pearson, ETS and Duolingo, the upcoming IACAT conference will play host to hundreds of professionals and specialists in fields such as psychology, psychometrics, AI, and testing development. They will not only discuss the future of assessment but debut new products, techniques, and technologies that will be in classrooms and exam rooms almost immediately. If education testing has a learning lab or a World’s Fair, IACAT is it.
Source: Assessment Systems Corp
Dr. David Weiss, who is generally regarded as the grandfather of Computerized Adaptive Testing, is the featured keynote speaker at IACAT 2019, being held June 10-13 in Minneapolis.
Perhaps chief among those experts at IACAT will be Dr. David Weiss, who is generally regarded as the grandfather of Computerized Adaptive Testing – the cornerstone testing practice by which a computer picks a test-taker’s next question based on how they answered the previous one. Dr. Weiss gave what is believed to be the very first presentation on adaptive testing in 1969 to the American Psychological Association Conference. And although the idea of CAT, as it’s known, has been around since then, it is still a relatively uncommon practice in academics, where less efficient, less accurate tests of standard length and pre-set questions are the norm.
Dr. Weiss, who taught at the University of Minnesota and co-founded the company Assessment Systems, which is hosting the IACAT conference, is expected to address the use of CAT in both practice and frequency, in a rare keynote address. Among the topics Dr. Weiss is expected to address is how even standardized tests should not have time limits and how future test designers should ensure a focus on people instead of numbers.
“Assessment,” Dr. Weiss said in previewing his speech, “has become the domain of mathematicians and an exercise in statistics, people who don’t necessarily have the background understanding of psychology. And we can do that too much and lose sight of the effect on people and forget that the end result should be to do a good job measuring everyone.”
It’s impossible to know whether Dr. Weiss’s words will resonate with the interested audience of test designers and practitioners. But he won’t be the only influential or experienced voice at IACAT hoping to shape the very nature of academic and career assessment.
Source: International Association of Computerized Adaptive Testing
The International Association for Computerized Adaptive Testing (IACAT) Conference June 10-13 on the University of Minnesota campus features academics, practitioners, test developers, school leaders, and testing companies coming together to share and learn about the best ways to assess learning.
Additional conference sessions include thought-provoking concepts such as ways to assess nonverbal IQ traits and learning gains in autistic students, identifying enemy question items that sabotage test validity, multistage testing, using artificial intelligence in assessment, on-the-fly machine learning, item response theory, rapid guessing behavior, vertical scaling, and more.
Perhaps the most interesting, even controversial, future for assessment in education isn’t even AI or machine grading – it’s something called performative assessment, or performance assessment. And according to those assembling at for IACAT next month, it could bring about the demise of the standardized test entirely, which would be big news in education.
Performative assessment is assessment that includes everything a student does – even day-to-day tasks such as reading, note-taking, class participation, and homework – as evidence of performance and learning. In practice, performative assessment can provide thousands of data points related to subject comprehension and mastery as opposed to just select, mid-level questions a standardized test may offer. It proposes to make assessment an ongoing, evolving practice instead of a designed, timed, proscribed testing experience.
Many of the experts who will be in Minnesota in June agree that this new breed of assessment is, and will be, more accurate than even computer-assisted and adaptive testing, which is already more accurate and efficient than the old fill-in-the-bubble, multiple choice tests. There’s a reason, the experts say, that good teachers know which students will do well on a test and which won’t – before the test is even given. And that reason is that teachers collect weeks and months of data for each student before any test, making the test itself a confirming reality instead of a genuine insight. There’s no reason, the assessment experts say, to leave all that information out of the picture.
“Performance testing will merge in the education environment as instruction becomes more personalized and computerized,” said Dr. Weiss. “If instruction is by computer, everything a student does should be used as assessment data – so testing and instruction merge, allowing all information to be used continuously for assessment.”
Even if that’s coming, Dr. Weiss cautioned it won’t happen overnight. Given how long it’s taken even computer-assisted and adaptive testing to take hold in classrooms, he thinks true performance assessment will take at least 20 years to be widely used in education, regardless of how much more efficient and more accurate these assessments would be.
Not only are the results of assessments used to measure student achievement, but student achievements are used to measure the successes and shortcomings of teachers, so these tests matter greatly to schools and entire education models. How they are designed, by whom and what they aim to measure will be the looking glass through which we see all future education attainment. As such, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that what happens in Minnesota in June may end up being the most consequential education conference to come along in quite some time.
For more information about the IACAT conference or to register, click here.
Being a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next generation of students have qualified teachers, we must nip this phenomenon in the bud. In this episode, we will discuss 8 ways that digital age teachers avoid burning out.
One of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and listing the attributes that made her the archetype of a great teacher.
