Standardized Tests & Wording?

[Wee Pip]

Anyone find that a certain lingo used in standardized testing affects their student's score? My dd will be taking the IOWA test next week (dh is giving it at home). We're going thru some practice tests (Spectrum Test Prep) and just in a few pages have hit on several words that we *don't use* here. Example: in Science, she didn't understand what an "investigation" was and thought it was a bad thing (i.e., criminal investigation). She never would've guessed that it meant "science experiment". I also noticed wierd questions like what a computer keyboard does - she's very good technically and works on computers with her daddy, but on paper, she just couldn't figure out what on earth they were asking. I'm worried that this isn't a good sign. Are we using the wrong "lingo" here? And is it seriously going to affect the test scores?

[missmoe]

Dictionary terminology. She may know how to use the dictionary, but does she know the terminology? We've been prepping for LA test, and I've noticed the same thing. I guess that is why we prep!

[abbeyej]

Also talk about how a library card catalog works (title, author, subject index, etc). Sometimes those things come up on tests like this, and contemporary kids may not have had the experience of looking books up in a card catalog or with anything other than a "key word search" on the computer.

[GoVanGogh]

I gave DS the ITBS last year w/o even thinking about doing a "test prep" book. :tongue_smilie:

He ended up so bogged down in the terminology and wording of the questions. In many cases, DS would point out something that was wrong and I would have to agree with him. Ex: One question asked, "Maria put the strawberries in the ______." Bucket, pail or bag? The picture was clearly a woven basket. Stuff like that only added to our frustration.

We are not required to test, though I plan on testing every other year. Next time, we will use a test prep book!

[Ellie]

That's what a standardized test does: compare students to the normed group. It doesn't necessarily actually test what your dc actually knows. So, yes, if you use different terminology than what the normed group uses, then your dc may not get the "correct" answers. That's why you have to read the results so carefully, and why it's good for parents to see the actual test (some parents have their dc tested by others and so never see the test).