Re: assessment question

[cleveren@garnet.acns.fsu.edu (Carrie Leverenz)]

But don't these tests grow out of a distrust of teachers and students?
Florida is about as test-happy as can be, and I am stuck helping TAs to
"remediate students" who fail the state-mandated CLAST (which they are
supposed to pass by the time they have 60 credits, roughly junior status).
The powers that be have finally determined that such things as SAT test
scores in combination with grades in FYW should count as the equivalent of
the CLAST, which leaves only those students least likely to pass it to have
to take it.  I, too, wish we could spend the money improving the high
schools these kids come from and giving our TAs more training to help these
students and improving retention services.  But the powers that be don't
trust us to meet "standards." Which is why we have the test(s).  Carrie Leverenz

>Yeah, I'd forgotten about the TASP, which I don't ordinarily have much
>contact with.  Again, I think the money that gets spent to administer it
>and to "remediate" the students who don't pass it would be better spend on
>supporting students and teachers.
>
>sara Kimball
>
>
>
>On Thu, 10 Jul 1997, Liz Buckley wrote:
>
>> 
>> James is taking about TASP which isn't a rising junior exam but must be
>> taken in the semester that the student earns 9 hrs or before.  Our testing
>> dept. has seen fit to excuse anyone from our Junior Level Essay if they have
>> passed TASP which is supposed to test readiness for college level work.  We
>> have the JLE, an essay which is scored by an ad hoc committee from all dept.
>> I am not happy with it.  I'd love to see a portfolio of the work the student
>> has done to this point.
>> 
>> Liz Buckley
>> Texas A&M University-Commerce
>> 
>> 
>
>
Carrie Shively Leverenz
Director, Reading/Writing Center
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1036
(904)644-5157
cleveren@garnet.acns.fsu.edu