You are here

Teach Reading, Not Testing
Share
Share

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

Foreword by W. James Popham



January 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


For instructors

This book is not available as an inspection copy. For more information contact your local sales representative.

Purchasing options

Please select a format:

ISBN: 9781412997737
£24.99

SAGE Knowledge is the ultimate social sciences digital library for students, researchers, and faculty. Hosting more than 4,400 titles, it includes an expansive range of SAGE eBook and eReference content, including scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more.

The platform allows researchers to cross-search and seamlessly access a wide breadth of must-have SAGE book and reference content from one source.

SAGE Knowledge brings together high-quality content from across our imprints, including CQ Press and Corwin titles.