Comments on: Am I Teaching To The Test?

By: Rick Bobrick

Rick Bobrick — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 23:26:22 +0000

Teacing Well to a Well Written Test
Pardon the oxymoronic tile. The majority of AP teachers I know refuse to stray. If its not on the test, they don't teach it. Therein lies the biggest fault of standards and standardized testing. AP tests undermine teacher curiosity and gladly trade interesting side trips in history for the boredom of the predictable and staid.

By: Debbie T.

Debbie T. — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 20:57:45 +0000

AP Works – A Test Worth Teaching To
When I started teaching, I swore I wouldn’t “teach to the test.” Then I signed up to teach AP Language, and they taught how to teach the test. I was conflicted. But I soon overcame it because the test is another tool to teach the material, using someone else’s words and definitions, as you said, Blue. Teaching the test (not “to” it) actually gives students exposure to the format and helps them see how the skills (close reading, annotating, etc) can actually be used. The students who succeed on AP exams also notice an increase on their ACT score, but I have some now who are coming back from college and telling me the format, discussions, and topics in the class are both more interesting than on-level classes AND closer to what they truly experience in college.

By: Lisa M

Lisa M — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 13:11:06 +0000

Close reading is POUNDED into
Close reading is POUNDED into students K-12. What the students have learned to do with the close reading is to search for the answer that will give them the correct answer on the test. They have essentially re wired their brain to avoid the boredom. Close reading of informational texts is boring and if students never get to have opinions about reading, they will always find the shortcut to the “right answer”. AP classes and college classes in general are all about thinking, comparing, making informed decisions and the content in an AP class allows for more of that….unfortunately, the kids have been drilled on getting the 1 correct answer from that 1 excerpt from that 1 informational text. You, now have to teach them to think and you now have have to teach them how to take the AP test… so you really are teaching to the test.