Teach Reading, Not Testing

Liz Hollingworth is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Iowa. Her research and teaching interests are centered on curriculum, leadership, and assessment. In particular, her work explores how federal school reform policies affect classroom practice. Her other books include Organization and Administration of Iowa Public and Private Schools and Complicated Conversations: Race and Ideology in an Elementary Classroom. Dr. Hollingworth grew up in San Diego, taught in Chicago and Michigan, and now lives in Iowa City with her husband, Andrew, and teenaged daughter, Emily. Hilleary Drake has taught fifth grade for six years in Riverton, Wyoming. Growing up in Texas during the initial wave of the “testing craze” she understands just how harmful it can be when testing drives instruction. She earned her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and her Master’s degree from the University of Iowa. While at Iowa she worked with Iowa Testing Progams as a graduate assistant, gaining behind-the-scene knowledge of the testing industry. Hilleary enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family, especially her husband Jay.

"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."

• Foreword by W. James PophamAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsIntroduction1. Conducting an Alignment StudyConducting an Alignment StudyWhat Is Alignment?Teaching to the Test: Just Say NoKey Points to RememberEnd-of-Chapter Quiz2. Using Formative AssessmentsWhat Does Formative Mean?How Are the Scores of Test Takers Analyzed?Differentiated InstructionTests as a Snap Shot: The Jacuzzi MetaphorDIBELSTest Quality and District AssessmentsEnd-of-Chapter Quiz3. Struggling ReadersAccommodations Versus ModificationsModifications and High-Stakes Tests: Alternative AssessmentsAccommodations and High-Stakes TestsAssistive Technology (AT)Response to Intervention (RTI)Differentiated Instruction (DI)English Language Learners (ELLs)End-of-Chapter Quiz4. Attitude and MotivationMotivation ResearchIncentivesGoal SettingWhat to Do If Your Principal Wants to Use Pizza Parties to Bribe StudentsThe Use of Practice Tests: Preparation or Motivation?Test Preparation: Analyzing Tests as a Reading GenreCommunicaton With StakeholdersEnd-of-Chapter Quiz5. Engaged Independent ReadingConnect Your Reading Units to Real-World ContextsTeaching Students to Read for PleasureReading 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 ClubsSummaryEnd-of-Chapter Quiz6. Best PracticeWhat Do Quality Inservices Look Like?Theory and Practice at the Elementary Level: Best Practices PrimerKnow What Works for YouEnd-of-Chapter Quiz7. Implications for Your Teaching and BeyondHolding Your GroundTest Misuse in the Early Days of TestingThe Need for a Supportive PrincipalNo More Teaching to the TestNext StepsFinal ThoughtsResource A: Answers to QuizzesResource B: Five Ways to Teach VocabularyGeneral Glossary of Assessment TermsReferencesIndex