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Paul, Thanks for the insight on this. I am not sure how many schools and teachers require students to take a comprehensive final at the end of a term. Except for my first year in the classroom, I've always been required to administer a final exam. The final, though is comprehensive only in terms of a semester, and not over the entire year. This is doubly difficult since the other US History teachers in my building and I exchange students between the first and second semesters. As I mentioned in my earlier post, Indiana doesn't currently have a statewide "end of course assessment" for US History, but I bet that day is coming. We currently do have ECAs for Algebra I and for Biology. At this time, those ECAs do not figure in as far as student achievement in the course, but they will by 2014. Michael H. -- Michael Hutchison Social Studies Chairperson Lincoln High School, Vincennes, Indiana President, Indiana Computer Educators Board of Directors List editor, H-HIGH-S listserv On 1/24/12 10:15 AM, "mhutch@NWCABLE.NET" <mhutch@NWCABLE.NET> wrote: > Michelle and Michael, > > This assessment of non-state tested areas is a real problem that all schools > have to face. I am in the process of helping a small school deal with this. > What I have proposed is pre- and post-testing the subject. At this point we > are trying to work on a delivery method. Ideally, I would like to see a > test bank with at least a thousand items in it so you cannot teach to the > test. Tests would be randomly generated. Realistically, for the first year > it will probably be the same questions because they cannot afford to pay me > to prepare the test bank. > > The biggest challenge is that some teachers do not teach toward a > comprehensive final, so their teaching methods and styles would have to be > modified. On the upside, everyone in the school would be on the same level > with their students taking a high-stakes test at the end of the semester and > year. > > > Paul Schulte > Arizona Educational Consultants > Gilbert, AZ > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: An H-Net List for Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools > [mailto:H-HIGH-S@H-NET.MSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael Hutchison > Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 3:44 AM > To: H-HIGH-S@H-NET.MSU.EDU > Subject: Re: Outside assessments > > Michelle, > > Thanks for sharing that. > > In Indiana, we don't have any statewide assessment for US History. However, > several years, the Indiana Department of Education announced they were going > to create an "end of course assessment" (ECA) for US History. Then, they > backed off, citing that they didn't have the money to create it. > > Of course, like several other states, the Indiana General Assembly decided > to significantly curtail teacher bargaining rights and contract protections. > For example, they've effectively done away with tenure protection. Our new > evaluation form states that 20% of our individual evaluation score has to > deal with student achievement, but a locally produced exam (say by teachers > in our own department) does not carry much weight, compared to an exam that > you described in your post. > > The other thing I wonder with this...I don't know how it is in Kentucky, but > we have local authority in buying textbooks and other materials. The > materials we use may be different than the materials at a school 10 miles > down the road uses. I wonder if the day is coming where our state > legislature will mandate that all schools in the state use the same > textbook, no matter where they are located, and the ECA will be mandated? > > Not that I don't believe that teachers should focus on helping students > learn concepts and ideas in US History, or other social studies areas. But, > my fear is that to continue down this path will stifle teacher creativity > and reduce student inquiry into ideas rather than facts. In other words, we > are going to wind up simply "teaching to the test". > > Michael H. > > > -- > Michael Hutchison > Social Studies Chairperson > Lincoln High School, Vincennes, Indiana > > President, Indiana Computer Educators Board of Directors List editor, > H-HIGH-S listserv > > > > On 1/24/12 5:28 AM, "Michael Hutchison" <mhutch@NWCABLE.NET> wrote: > >> From: Michelle Peck Williams <mpw@qx.net> >> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:21:22 -0500 >> To: An H-Net List for Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools >> <H-HIGH-S@H-NET.MSU.EDU> >> Subject: Re: Outside assessments >> >> Kentucky is doing the same thing this year with a US History end of >> course exam that actually counts in the students' grade. From the >> people who brought us the ACT. We used to have state tests written by >> KY teachers that just reflected the school but that was problematic >> because the kids didn't really care. Now they will have to. >> >> My district has had common dept exams for several years but the level >> of detail required in the sample questions for this new EOC exam is >> substantially higher and that is REALLY scaring us. It's the first >> year but everyone I know is really worried. The sample questions are very > difficult. >> >> Michelle Peck Williams, NBCT >> AP World History & Humanities Teacher >> Dept Chair for Social Studies & Fine Arts Paul Laurence Dunbar High >> School, Lexington, KY USA mpw@qx.net >> michelle.williams@fayette.kyschools.us >> >> "To know what you know and know what you do not know is the character >> of one who knows." >> -Kung Fuzi (Confucius) >> >> Sent from my iPhone 4S >> >> >> On Jan 23, 2012, at 7:45 PM, Michael Hutchison <mhutch@NWCABLE.NET> wrote: >> >>> From: Lea Burnside <burnsidel@embarqmail.com> >>> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:23:06 -0500 >>> To: An H-Net List for Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools >>> <H-HIGH-S@H-NET.MSU.EDU> >>> Subject: Re: FW: Outside assessments >>> >>> >>> Florida will institute an end of course exam for American/US history >>> this year (this year's students take the pilot exam). Later, I >>> assume, they will add a world history end of course and probably an >>> American Govt and and economics exam since those are also graduation >>> requirements. But, they started with the American/US test this >>> coming spring. >>> Lea Burnside >>> World and AP World History >>> LaBelle High School >>> LaBelle, FL >>> burnsidel@hendry.k12.fl.us >>> >>> On 1/23/2012 7:13 PM, Michael Hutchison wrote: >>>> From: j tab<joetab24@yahoo.com> >>>> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:47:07 -0800 (PST) >>>> To: An H-Net List for Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools >>>> <H-HIGH-S@H-NET.MSU.EDU> >>>> Subject: Outside assessments >>>> >>>> Curious to see if any of you have to give a department exam( one >>>> that all students take regardless of teacher) or live in an area >>>> where a state history assessment is given? At my school, we give a >>>> common final and are awaiting a state created test at some point in the > next few years. >>>> >>>> Joe >>>> >>> >>> ------ End of Forwarded Message >> >> ------ End of Forwarded Message
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