CAPT - Is there a better way ?

 

Reia had her CAPT exams this week. And she has a few more next week. There are a total of 8 tests. 2 on Reading. 2 on Writing. 2 on Math and 2 on Science. CAPT is an acronym for Connecticut Academic Performance Test. The intended purpose of the tests is to evaluate that high school students meet a minimum standard of knowledge in the basic subjects.

Whilst the intent is commendable, its the methodology which I believe is flawed. I'm no educationist or psychologist or one of the other zillion experts in various fields who have been consulted in creating these standards. But I'm a parent and find that several questions come to mind.

The tests are supposed to be based on common knowledge and aptitude and hence supposedly need no preparation. Sounds perfect. And a great idea. Till you actually see the sample questions. And then quickly realize that not only do these require you to be prepared, but more importantly if you've not studied the subjects in question, you could be in deep trouble.

The Math requires you to have done a fair amount of Math. And so several students like Reia who have not studied Math or have only a basic level of Math are seeing the problems on the test for the first time. So let alone solve the problem, they have difficulty in understanding the question. And the same is true for Science. English is a little better off, but not much. Because the CAPT is looking for specific things. Which the student may have no idea. And so assumes a different approach which could lead to a poorer performance.

At the end of the day the question is, "Is there a better way ?" And my answer is "Yes". I'm giving one solution, but am sure that there could be many more, some which may be much better than mine.

The solution starts with the intent which is to ensure that each student who passes from High School has a reasonable or predetermined level of knowledge which can be compared relatively across the State or country. Let us assume that the 4 subjects that are chosen are Reading, Writing, Math and Science. Whilst I don't believe that a fixed choice of these subjects is the best choice, for now lets assume that.

Since the purpose is to ensure that all of them achieve a certain minimum standard an internal test should be conducted, say at the beginning of the Sophomore Year. All students should first be provided study material which covers the scope of the testing and allows them to be prepared in the subjects in which they are going to be measured. Based on the results of the tests, all students who don't meet the standards should have a special CAPT class that will train them in the subjects in which they need help. This will allow them to be better prepared for the CAPT exams. And finally there should be available a bank of practice papers and questions like the SAT's that will allow the students to be well prepared.

The primary purpose of education is to help students learn. And that of a test to measure that learning. Hence its critical that a test be preceded by learning which is sadly missing in the CAPT. Hopefully this will change in the near future. And students like Reia will benefit.