So in the last post, I mentioned my distaste for testing and part of the reason for that is questions like this...
This type of question is used to assess students' decoding skills which is their understanding of phonics and the sounds letters make. Decoding is used when reading new words. This type of question is challenging in itself because while students are reading actual text there are so many skills that are going on at the same time when they read. Think about when you read yourself. If you happen upon a word that is new to you, you draw from a variety of skills, almost instantly, in order to figure it out. All at the same time you will decode/sound it out, think about how it's used in context as well as if there are any context clues to give you hints, and pull from your personal dictionary you carry in your brain of words you know. That's what good readers do. So to isolate that decoding skill is very hard. We do A LOT of
teaching to the test practice with this type of question because it is an unnatural way of decoding. So while the type of question is tricky, the first two parts are manageable and do not bother me (beyond my issue above).
It's the third part that gets me. The word "perform" uses a fairly basic phonics skill of what we call the R-controlled vowel. The R that comes after the O keeps the O from being long (phone) or short (hop). Instead the sound the two make together says "or" like the word. So let's look at the answer choices...
- far - has an R-controlled A so that sound obviously doesn't match
- sharp - same as above
- tour - the vowel team "ou" can have four sounds. So, technically tour could be said like TORE and be the correct answer.
BUT, if you look the word tour up in the dictionary, there are only two pronunciations given.
- motor - ends in or and should technically say "or" but it doesn't. Instead it says "er". When you look that up, there are no variations in the sound. HOWEVER, in Spanish it is pronounced mow-TOR, emphasizing the OR sound. This is a test in English of course, BUT 90% of the students in my class come from Spanish speaking homes, so that is an issue.
So what is the answer?!?! It is TOUR.
After all of this research (for one freaking question) trying to figure out why the heck the answer is tour, I brought it to a colleague of mine. She said that in Idaho and Utah (where she is from) they do pronounce it closer to TORE. In California, we pronounce it as to-er. So even, if there's a possibility it could follow the phonics rule of #2, the dictionary doesn't show it AND it's not something we hear regionally. And then to add in that many of my kids do hear motor as mow-TOR at home...how are they supposed to answer this!?!?!
I know the test makers like to make the kids "think" by putting words that have the same sound but different spelling, but maybe they could have used oar, boar, or warn which are much more clear about their sound.
It's questions like this that make me question whether the tests can indicate anything like student achievement or teacher effectiveness.
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There's a major difference between thinking and torturing. Also there's a major difference between setting a test in an honest attempt to help, but this seems to set to fail kids, teachers and schools.
ReplyDeleteI took and passed a semester of advanced linguistics just 'cause, and this is just wrong for anyone. That it's deployed upon 2nd language kids is downright ugly.
Oh, and for what it's worth. In Ireland we say Fil-lim for Film, toower for tour, tree for three. Dis, for this, das or dat for that, deeze for these and doose for those.
And do you know something. It wasn't until I was reading Walter Scott that I got it. At 14 !, not 9.
That's the thing about testing. It's supposed to be used to inform the teacher of a child's progress. But it's been turned into so much more than that. In one of my trainings we have a presentation about how "you don't make a pig fatter by weighing it". And that's exactly what is happening with testing. We are weighing that pig all the damn time and for some reason it's not getting any fatter.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember turty-tree from my visit there. But with that being said, you'd probably not be able to answer some of these questions about phonetic sounds. And this is a 3rd grade test for 8 and 9 year olds!
Ohh I now for certain I wouldn't. But what you are experiencing in Cali and in general across the English speaking West in teaching is a refusal to tax in a way that actually pays for the service by those that actually gain. And in this I mean companies and business generally. An education levy should be the very first take. Indeed a sales tax point or two would then even things. At the moment business pays NO tax whatsoever.
DeleteOh yes, the educational testing lobby, while not as well known as the NRA or Big Pharma, is still something that we have to contend with. They are why (at least partially why) the powers that be make such poor decisions about education "reform". The reform isn't coming because of outraged parents demanding change, or because teachers think this is what needs to happen. It's because the testing lobby buys off our politicians who then turn it into educational policy. You wouldn't think that schools would be thought of as a big money maker for anyone...we supposedly never have any money. But if every school in a state or country is required to take XYX test and XYZ time, it's lining someone's pockets. Same with text books!
DeleteDon't even get my started on the taxes.
I have to applaud you for taking the time to research the answers of the test. I can't count the number of times I have tried to help my daughter solve a problem sent home that either has several correct answers (but they are only allowed to choose one) or not enough information to solve it. I generally go over the reason why multiple answers are correct or why there isn't enough information with my daughter and have her write a few sentences to that effect instead with a note to call me if I am indeed mistaken. I have never gotten a call and she has never gotten the answer wrong and yet the same teacher keeps repeating this mistake of not doing their own homework over and over.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, my guess was "tour" but I could have easily been persuaded to go "motor" as well.
I know, I feel like curriculum writers/editors in general aren't doing their job if there are those kinds of problems popping up in school practice or on tests. It drives me nuts!
DeleteIf the teacher is just sending home the curriculum that goes with what she is teaching, that's probably the case. But it surprises me that your concerns haven't been addressed.
Well that just make me want to pull my hair out..
ReplyDeleteTell me about it!
DeleteWell I missed it. I went with motor (though tour would have been my second choice). And probably extra points off since I couldn't "show my work" by telling you why I picked motor!
ReplyDeleteLove your weighing the pig analogy!
All the more reason I admire and thank those of you who choose to educate our children. It's a thankless (and often frustrating) job!
Oh, no, this question didn't ask anyone to show their work. Which is a whole other issue about these tests. We are taught in our pedagogy work that it's really important to check in with kids on their "why"? Often times the way a child makes sense of a problem is the reason their answer is chosen. Sometimes the explanation can validate the wrong answer. I'm all for marking answers wrong that are wrong, but this is such a bad question, the "why" would be important here.
DeleteAnyhow, it is. It's getting harder and harder. I love it, but I don't like it a lot of the time these days.