DL Johnston Question 5

From LiteracyTentWiki

QUESTION 5. If you receive federal dollars then you should be adhering to the NRS, but I understand that this can be quite a challenge given the mismatch between the tests and the nature of learning/content within DL. What do you do in this circumstance?

The mismatch problem is not unique to distance education. It is problematic for classroom programs as well. In Project IDEAL's first working paper ("Assessment and Accountability Issues in Distance Education for Adult Learners" available on our website). We described how poorly many of the common standardized tests measured progress in the acquisition of workplace skills. Another area of potential mismatch is measuring progress toward the GED test using a standardized test such as the TABE that measures core reading and math skills, not mastery of science or social studies concepts needed for those subtests.

Where do you think the best and worst match occurs between the testing you must give and the curriculum you teach? Do you agree with me that the mismatch problem is equally relevant for the classroom and distance setting?

J E R O M E J O H N S T O N
Director, Project IDEAL Support Center
Institute for Social Research - University of Michigan
734/763-3079 (734) 615-6638 (fax) jerej@umich.edu

This question and Jerome Johnston's reply were posted in the context of a July, 2005 discussion on the NIFL-Technology electronic list. The whole discussion will be found at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/DistanceLearning