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Teach Reading, Not Testing
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Teach Reading, Not Testing
Best Practice in an Age of Accountability

Foreword by W. James Popham



November 2012 | 144 pages | Corwin
Finally, a responsible approach to reading instruction that does not require teachers to abandon everything they know about teaching students how to be literate and how to LOVE reading! Test preparation worksheets and drill and kill activities do not make children into life-long readers. Hollingworth and Drake provide research from the academic community to support the instructional strategies that are offered in this very practical book. In addition, they include stories from the field about the ways the accountability movement is influencing teaching practice and what can be done about it. These authors mix an insiderÆs perspective on assessment research and development with a practitionerÆs experience in achieving reading outcomes at the elementary and secondary levels. Their aim is to show how all students can be prepared for standardized tests, without ôteaching to the test.ö The key components of their approach are: 1) aligning instruction to the state or national core standards, 2) using formative assessment, 3) connecting units to real-world contexts, 4) motivating students effectively, and 5) holding on to best practice in literacy instruction. This book affirms the professionalism of the classroom teacher without vilifying standardized tests.
 
Foreword by W. James Popham
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Introduction
 
1. Conducting an Alignment Study
Conducting an Alignment Study

 
What Is Alignment?

 
Teaching to the Test: Just Say No

 
Key Points to Remember

 
End-of-Chapter Quiz

 
 
2. Using Formative Assessments
What Does Formative Mean?

 
How Are the Scores of Test Takers Analyzed?

 
Differentiated Instruction

 
Tests as a Snap Shot: The Jacuzzi Metaphor

 
DIBELS

 
Test Quality and District Assessments

 
End-of-Chapter Quiz

 
 
3. Struggling Readers
Accommodations Versus Modifications

 
Modifications and High-Stakes Tests: Alternative Assessments

 
Accommodations and High-Stakes Tests

 
Assistive Technology (AT)

 
Response to Intervention (RTI)

 
 
Differentiated Instruction (DI)
English Language Learners (ELLs)

 
End-of-Chapter Quiz

 
 
4. Attitude and Motivation
Motivation Research

 
Incentives

 
Goal Setting

 
What to Do If Your Principal Wants to Use Pizza Parties to Bribe Students

 
The Use of Practice Tests: Preparation or Motivation?

 
Test Preparation: Analyzing Tests as a Reading Genre

 
Communicaton With Stakeholders

 
End-of-Chapter Quiz

 
 
5. Engaged Independent Reading
Connect Your Reading Units to Real-World Contexts

 
Teaching Students to Read for Pleasure

 
Reading at Home: W.E.I.R.D.

 
What's the Deal With Boys?

 
Literature Circles and Book Clubs: What Is Normal in the Real World?

 
Best Practice for Book Clubs

 
Summary

 
End-of-Chapter Quiz

 
 
6. Best Practice
What Do Quality Inservices Look Like?

 
Theory and Practice at the Elementary Level: Best Practices Primer

 
Know What Works for You

 
End-of-Chapter Quiz

 
 
7. Implications for Your Teaching and Beyond
Holding Your Ground

 
Test Misuse in the Early Days of Testing

 
The Need for a Supportive Principal

 
No More Teaching to the Test

 
Next Steps

 
Final Thoughts

 
 
Resource A: Answers to Quizzes
 
Resource B: Five Ways to Teach Vocabulary
 
General Glossary of Assessment Terms
 
References
 
Index

"This timely book addresses issues that we all deal with on a daily basis because of NCLB and high stakes testing. Teachers are in a quandary because they are often directed to provide exercises and activities in the classroom that contradict what they know to be good literacy instruction. This book provides suggestions for maintaining excellent instructional standards which will result in improved test scores."

Janice C. Brunson, Coordinator of Elementary Literacy
Stafford County Public Schools, Stafford, VA

"This is a useful resource for teachers and administrators who aspire to ramp up their knowledge of current practices and policies driving the myriad changes swirling in the field of literacy instruction. It is a friendly overview and navigation guide by a knowledgeable author team."

Paula J. Leftwich, Senior Director, K-12 Curriculum and Instruction
Polk County Public Schools, Bartow, FL

Sample Materials & Chapters

Foreword

Introduction


Liz Hollingworth

Liz Hollingworth is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Iowa. Her research and teaching interests are centered on curriculum, leadership, and assessment. In particular, her work explores how federal school reform policies affect classroom practice. Her other books include Organization and Administration of Iowa Public and Private Schools and Complicated Conversations: Race and Ideology in an Elementary Classroom. Dr. Hollingworth grew up in San Diego, taught in Chicago and Michigan, and now lives in Iowa City with her husband, Andrew, and teenaged daughter, Emily. More About Author

Hilleary Michele Drake

Hilleary Drake has taught fifth grade for six years in Riverton, Wyoming. Growing up in Texas during the initial wave of the “testing craze” she understands just how harmful it can be when testing drives instruction. She earned her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and her Master’s degree from the University of Iowa. While at Iowa she worked with Iowa Testing Progams as a graduate assistant, gaining behind-the-scene knowledge of the testing industry. Hilleary enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family, especially her husband Jay. More About Author

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ISBN: 9781412997737
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