Ethical Test Preparation in the Classroom

Book excerpt: "Large-scale assessments are a common method of measuring students' knowledge and skills; however, performance on such tests may not accurately reflect what students know if they are not familiar with the nuances and idiosyncrasies of the tests themselves. In Ethical Test Preparation in the Classroom, authors Robert J. Marzano, Christopher W. Dodson, Julia A. Simms, and Jacob P. Wipf expose the true nature of large-scale assessments. To help educators understand what tests actually ask students to know and be able to do, the authors analyzed thousands of questions from state and national tests in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science. They build on the results of their study to provide a practical approach to deepening students' content knowledge and ethically preparing them to demonstrate that knowledge. By reading this book, K-12 teachers and administrators will gain insight into the architecture of test items and share that understanding with students to help them truly show what they know"--