Your Course Grade

Check out this e-Campus article "Instructor to Outsource Grading to Students." Let me know what you think? Should we implement this system? Is it a reasonable way to assess learning?

E-Portfolios: E What and E Why?

An interest in e-portfolios has filtered into the K-12 setting. Keep up with the trend. Access this article from Education World and use some of links in the article to find out more. http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml Teachers on the K-12 need to understand this phenomenon that is sure to impact their teaching in the future. Here is a link to also learn more about how e-ports are being used in Minnesota not just for all residents but also all students K-12: http://www.efoliominnesota.com/ To see samples of college students' eports try this link.

Post your comments. What do you see as the value of e-portfolios? To what extent do you think they will catch on in the K-12 environment?

Are the SATs Fair?

Perhaps you have heard by now that a new national report has been released urging colleges to reduce or even eliminate SATs scores as part of the application process. The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is taking a leadership position in asking colleges to reconsider the weight given to the SATs. One concern that NACAC has raised is the enormous media attention the tests receive despite the fact that it has been documented that the tests are not necessarily the best predictor of a student’s success in college. Yet, all the media hype puts undue pressure on high school students, their parents, and guidance counselors, while also helping to increase the profits of companies that market themselves as coaching experts for the tests.

The NACAC, based on an analysis of students’ success in college, advocates for the use of high school achievement as well as enrollment in college preparatory and honors courses as a far better predictor of student outcomes in college. Concern has also been raised about testing bias as well as the advantage that wealthier students who can afford coaching have. If the test does not equalize across all economic strata, some question its validity and whether using it for admission is a discriminatory practice. In studies looking at student performance on the SAT and college success, institutions have found a weak correlation. Hamilton College which makes submission of scores optional has found that students who elect not to submit scores outperform those who do. Some schools report an increase in applicants from top scholars after electing to make SATs scores optional. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is one such school.

Weigh in on the issue. What is your opinion? Should the SAT be dropped from the admissions process?

Information from “Dramatic Challenge to SAT and ACT,” Inside Higher Education, 9/22/08.< http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/22/testing> Additional Information available from “College Panel Calls for Less Focus on SAT, The New York Times, 9/22/08. < http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/education/22admissions.html?th&emc=th

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