Friday, Febraury 27, 2004

Practice makes perfect

New online test will help boost student achievement by offering teachers an early look at student strengths and weaknesses.

Once upon a time, Georgia teachers struggled to teach students what they needed to know to score well on high-stakes tests. Unfortunately, our educators had to wait until the results were in before they knew how successful their lessons had been. The days of guessing and hoping are now over, thanks to a new online tool that promises to help boost student achievement statewide.

The new Online Criterion Referenced Competency Test provides access to short tests containing questions similar to those found on the actual CRCT, which is given to all students in first through eighth grades. The online practice site, which went live Jan. 30, is much more sophisticated and user-friendly than what was available to our teachers in the past.

Students will be able to take two kinds of tests ­ those put together by the computer or those that are constructed by teachers. By designing new tests, teachers can select from more than 4,700 questions using an online “shopping cart” approach. They then assign the tests to students in their classes. Test results are available to the teachers as soon as the student is finished, and will immediately identify lessons that may need to be reinforced or students who may need extra help. The key is that this valuable information is available months before the student takes the actual test, giving teachers time to help those who may be falling behind in specific areas.

The practice site contains questions in the areas of English/language arts, math, science and social studies. Reading items, currently being fine-tuned, are expected to be added in the coming weeks.

The CRCT Online is a password protected tool for classroom teachers, and is not accessible by the general public.