Appropriate and Appropriate and Inappropriate Test-Prep Inappropriate Test-Prep

PracticesPractices

Professional Ethics as a Professional Ethics as a GuidelineGuideline

““No test preparation practice should No test preparation practice should violate the ethical norms of the violate the ethical norms of the education profession”education profession”

This means no lying, cheating, This means no lying, cheating, stealing, etc,stealing, etc,

Also means acting Also means acting in loco parentis, in loco parentis, in in place of the parent, to act with place of the parent, to act with morally, ethical behavior.morally, ethical behavior.

Educational Defensibility Educational Defensibility guidelineguideline

““No test-preparation practice should No test-preparation practice should increase students’ test scores without increase students’ test scores without simultaneously increasing students’ simultaneously increasing students’ mastery of the assessment domain tested”mastery of the assessment domain tested”

This means that teachers should not spend This means that teachers should not spend ample instructional time teaching “tricks” ample instructional time teaching “tricks” or “skills” that are only applicable to the or “skills” that are only applicable to the test, and not generalizable to other areastest, and not generalizable to other areas

Five test- preparation Five test- preparation practicespractices

1. Previous-form preparation1. Previous-form preparation 2. Current-form preparation2. Current-form preparation 3. Generalized test-taking 3. Generalized test-taking

preparationpreparation 4. Same-format preparation4. Same-format preparation 5. Varied-format preparation5. Varied-format preparation

Applying test-prep options Applying test-prep options to the Evaluative Criteriato the Evaluative Criteria

Test-prepTest-prep Does it adhere to Does it adhere to Professional Ethics?Professional Ethics?

Does it adhere to Does it adhere to Educational Educational Defensibility?Defensibility?

Previous-formPrevious-form NoNo NoNo

Current-formCurrent-form NoNo NoNo

GeneralizedGeneralized YesYes YesYes

Same formatSame format YesYes NoNo

Varied formatVaried format Yes Yes YesYes

““Teaching to the Test,” Teaching to the Test,” according to Pophamaccording to Popham

Don’t say, “teaching to the Don’t say, “teaching to the test’s items”test’s items”

Instead say, “teaching to the Instead say, “teaching to the content represented by the content represented by the test”test”

See illustration on pg 313.See illustration on pg 313.

Implications for TeachersImplications for Teachers

Reflect if your testing preparation Reflect if your testing preparation practices coincide with one of the practices coincide with one of the five practices.five practices.

More important than your More important than your approaches, is your adherence to the approaches, is your adherence to the two evaluative guidelines.two evaluative guidelines.