Search All of the Math Forum:
Views expressed in these public forums are not endorsed by
Drexel University or The Math Forum.
|
|
RayM
Posts:
308
Registered:
12/3/04
|
|
automated testing
Posted:
Aug 23, 2000 9:27 AM
|
|
Since standardized testing is receiving such a hammering in this forum, we
might as well ask about automated testing. Writing in LISP, SCHEME, or
PROLOGUE it is straightforward to create programs that create dialogues
that are eerily human sounding. It is also possible to explore a person's
knowledge in a particular area in a systematic way by asking questions of
increasing difficulty until the rate of incorrect answers becomes
unacceptable. The program then switches to another subarea of content and
begins anew.
Is there any good reason that automated testing should not replace
standardized tests? Consider a seventh grader sitting down for a test. A
few integer addition items might be followed by rationals, followed by
reals, followed by algebraic expressions with mixed ops. Satisfied that
was adequate understanding for a seventh grader, the program could switch
to a hierarchy operations questions. A different seventh grader might be
stymied by the reals and be tested next on subtraction. Thus in a given
amount of time a much wider range of test questions can be considered.
Should a student spend the whole year dealing with a machine? No. Should
an impartial assessment be made once a year to complement the biased daily
assessments of teachers? Yes. How would the results of a test like this
fit in a portfolio? Nicely, I think. It's not the whole story but its
more complete than a standardized test especially at both tails of the
distribution.
|
|
|
|
