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posted by:
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Mack McCary
on April 26, 1999
at 11:36AM
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subject:
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Who we are, questions re student assessment
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I'm Mack McCary, co-PI with Susan Friel in the
MIPS project: Math Improvement through Problem
Solving. We are working with 5 rural counties in
northeastern North Carolina to transform math
instruction K-8 through incorporating inquiry and a
focus on student understanding. My second "part-time"
job, in addition to being assistant superintendent in
one of the counties, has been leading a consortium of
8 districts begun by CLASS & Grant Wiggins, to develop
a balanced assessment system using authentic
performance tasks and student portfolios.
We have been utilizing NC-developed criterion
referenced tests over the last 5 years to assess
changes in student math achievement which are
associated with changes in math instruction,
especially in the middle school implementation of the
Connected Math Project (CMP). Our teachers are
beginning to develop culminating performance tasks,
tho we are not far enough along to have made
systematic use of that data.
Our biggest question is how to find or develop
assessment tools which can help distinguish between
procedural knowledge and deeper understanding,
especially the ability to explain concepts and
reasoning, and the ability to apply learning to
ill-structured, more real life-like, problems. The
New Standards data Pittsburg reported at the LSC
conference was fascinating and revealing. Our current
state tests do a fair job of assessing basic
procedural knowledge, and some conceptual
understanding, but not in a form that one can clearly
see explanation-connections and application to problem
solving clearly revealed.
===
Dr. C. E. McCary III
Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services
Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools
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