I found this article very interesting because one of my current job duties is to go to ISD's and give COMPASS testing to area high school students. This article talks about what teachers can do to help students prepare for standardized tests. It also lists different companies that offer practice tests via the internet. Although I think the article is good and has some good points, there is more to it than that.
I think that teachers could do what the article states to help students. But, I would hate for teachers to change their curriculum just so students can pass these tests. If they are so focused on what is needed to pass the tests, they may leave other just as important things out of their teaching that maybe the students don't need for the tests but need for everyday survival.
What I hear from the students who take the test is that they have not done some of the stuff on the test since junior high. They can't remember how to do it. The other big one that I hear is that they did not take the test seriously. They just blew through it to get it done. Part of that is us educating them. We do tell them that the test is going to be used to place them into classes and establish their prerequisite level, but still they don't take it serious. We have some that miss the college level class by one or two points and they don't care. They would rather pay for and take a developmental course than retest.
Resources: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-to-make-standardized-test-prep-available-to-all-students
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