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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Dilemma
Dilemma
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sorji
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Dilemma
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Dear friends, colleagues and awesome teachers,
I am in a dilemma.I don �t know whether there is in English a specific name for a test that all school classes should take at the end of each semester.
I have just laid the last touches on my tests that all my classes should take tomorrow, but still don �t know what to write on top of the page?  How would you call this test? Is it English Standardized Test? Urgent please.
NB: same level classes have the same test.For example, I teach 7 nineth grade classes, and 3 tenth grade classes.The former have the same test, the latter have the same test too.
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25 Jan 2010
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volga
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The test that we give our students at the end of each semester is called �Final Test �. As a department (math, English, Science, etc.) teachers decide what kind of test it is going to be and they give the same test to all their students (but different in different grades). Since I am the only teacher who teachers Basic and Intermediate ESL I create my own tests. Our SBA (Standards-Based Assessment) is a state mandated test and it is usually administered in March-April. Students of the same grade-level in our state (not just our school) take the same test. For about a week our students do nothing but take the test in 3 subjects (Language Arts [English], Math, and Science).
Hope this helps.
V.
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25 Jan 2010
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sorji
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Thanks volga, it was kind of you.But if this test is madated by the ministry of education?Every school must do its own test at the end of each semester.Teachers of all subjects design tests of their own choice for their classes, at the time of these tests, there is no school, only testing and grading.Is the label " English Standardized Test"accpetable enough to be put on top of the test sheet?
BTW we call this test in French: Examen Normalise Local, meaning literally Local Standardized Test |
25 Jan 2010
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SueThom
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Generally speaking, any test that is required at the end of a term of study (e.g. semester, quarter) is called a "final exam" or, more often, just "final". Frequently there is a lesser exam which is given at about the mid-point of the term, which is usually called a "midterm" (or perhaps "midterm exam"). If you use these terms anywhere around the USA, people of all ages will know immediately what you �re talking about as they �ve been common educational vocabulary for generations.
These exams may be mandated by the schools or school districts, but are usually developed by the individual instructors and/or the department �s faculty.
You, of course, may call your test anything you want. "Local Standardized Test" is fine; "final exam" is fine.
A "standardized" test implies that it meets a certain standard, usually some sort of government or broad educational testing norm. If you google the term, there �s a lot of stuff that comes up, e.g. the Wikipedia article that starts with the following one-sentence definition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standardized_test "A standardized test is a test
designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for
administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent [1] and are administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner."
Good luck!
Sue
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26 Jan 2010
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sorji
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Dear SueThom, thank you so much for your help.Now I get the full picture and I know what to call my test.It is indeed a Final, not standardized because it is my test, I developed it myself, no standards mandated.
I wouldn �t get out of my dilemma if you weren �t there.A vote of thanks to you all dear teachers.I love you and I hold in high regard.Let me just take a bow to you.
There is a well-known verse in Arabic, literarlly meaning:
Bow to your teacher He is like a Messenger (of God) |
26 Jan 2010
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sorji
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I still have a lot to learn.As Georges Isles once said: "Whoever ceases to be a student has never been a student."
Thank you for enlightening me.
No matter how many times I said thanks, I wouldn �t give you your due. |
26 Jan 2010
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volga
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You �re welcome, Sorji!
Oh, one more comment. I haven �t heard the word �exam � in middle schools too much. I guess it applies more to high schools or colleges/universities. In the middle school where I work we call it �Final Test � or �Final � for short.
Unfortunately, we have so many tests in our schools that we don �t have enough time for teaching. We have SBA (state mandated) - lasts a week, DBA (district mandated) - three times a year, math and reading, lasts two days, ACCESS for our ESL students (mandated by state and federal government) - 4 tests 70 minutes each, Finals (school mandated), End-of-the-Unit Tests (program mandated) 5 times a year, and 4 tests within each unit. I am sure I forgot something...
I don �t think I had so many tests when I was a student. ;-(
Good luck to you and your students!
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26 Jan 2010
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sorji
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I finally settled for plain Final.Thank you both,volga and suethom.I really really appreciate it.
BTW do you know of the needs-focused lessons by Rob Plevin?How can I get these lesson books without paying online? Because, I first don �t have a debit card, second I don �t trust this way of paying. |
26 Jan 2010
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aliciapc
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Check out www.needsbehaviour.com and www.needsfocusedlesson.com .
Also, Sorji, I remember there is a link Lana from Ireland posted here where you could download 2 books for free, I �m not sure the content but you could search this site for postings by her.
Hope it helps,
Alicia |
26 Jan 2010
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