Whats your rection to an answer I received from the Minnesota Dept. of Education?

[TheRingFinder]

What's your rection to an answer I received from the Minnesota Dept. of Education?

All Minnesota public school students must take the MINNESOTA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT tests.
I called the MDE and asked for last years tests so I could see the type of questions the State is asking my child. Here's a couple bullet point answers I was given: Please read them carefully and give me your take -

• Previous year’s forms are held in reserve as breach forms. If a form were intentionally released then we must have an equated form ready for publication within hours. Thus, we still hold on to previous, intact forms for this purpose.
• Release of an entire form leads to undesired consequences in the classroom: that is, practicing on that test over and over again with the hope that if they can do well on that test that they will pass the test. This is not an unreasonable assumption, but often teachers and lay persons do not consider measurement error inherent in the test and that the tests are not equated at the strand level.

 

[Uncle Jeff]

Just move to Georgia were the teachers correct bad answers on the test to get better scores for the students so they do not have to teach the children anything........

 

[BosnMate]

I don't understand a thing they said, except I don't think you are going to get it.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

A parent receiving a reply like that is unacceptable.
Continue your quest.
GL
Peace ✌

 

[TheRingFinder]

It sounds like they "Department od Education" are just so much smarter then us lay people, we should just shut up and let them teach us.
That's just a little too close to Germany in the 1930's...............

 

[JrMack]

sound like they reuse prior test questions from tests given. If that is the case then they should be evaluated themselves. the tests should be given using the national guidelines and not reworded question already presented. If I read it correctly. I would call them and have it explained by whosever signature is on the response letter.

 

[DirtStalker]

New Math...now New English

 

[pepperj]

Now that's a mouthful, and a mess, I'd be asking for the layman version to be explained.

 

[TheRingFinder]

Now that's a mouthful, and a mess, I'd be asking for the layman version to be explained.

Yeah, that's what they want - to feel superior.

 

[BigWaveDave]

glad I got the whole school thing behind me.... the beautiful justice of it all is that my kids will have to go through the homework wars and headaches with their own kids someday.

 

[lockster99]

Must be that "new math" we were all told we would need in the future.

 

[slink]

The truth is .....they don't want you to know what they are teaching your children.

 

[bigfoot1]

just sad....I would send that to local media organizations

 

[Msbeepbeep]

If they won't send it to you tell them you want to come in and have a look at it. If they say no contact the news media.
That is unacceptable, you are the parent and tax payer, your kid & dime!

 

[TheRingFinder]

Thanks for all your comments - very frustrating situation.

 

[Limitool]

I'd absolutely come unglued... Stay on them HARD and demand to see the test. Now me... being me... I'd make them a mission. Contact Walker... he sounds like he has some nuggets.

 

[jerseyben]

The information you are requesting is proprietary to the company who administers the tests. There are strict security procedures in place to protect the integrity of testing and to prevent cheating.

You are never going to get a copy of the test itself. Think about it for a minute... It would be a huge liability to release that kind of information.

Take a look here: MINNESOTA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT (MCA)

They have provided some practice/sample questions for public viewing. Hope this helps.

 

[TheHunterGT]

The information you are requesting is proprietary to the company who administers the tests. There are strict security procedures in place to protect the integrity of testing and to prevent cheating.

You are never going to get a copy of the test itself. Think about it for a minute... It would be a huge liability to release that kind of information.

Take a look here: MINNESOTA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT (MCA)

They have provided some practice/sample questions for public viewing. Hope this helps.

Jerseyben is correct. Ask for sample questions and you will probably seek what you are desiring. There is no way they will provide you with last years test unless they have done a massive overhaul for this years test.

Cheating is a real problem in the academic testing field sadly. Handing out last years test which may very well have similar questions on this years version would not be something they are likely to agree to.

 

[Limitool]

Why can't this person sit down and review the test for himself before his children are required to take it?

 

[coinman123]

In English please??