Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Let's Play Spot That Fallacy!

"..Instead, districts will give their students "short-cycle assessments" in ninth and 10th grades, which will consist of a series of three exams throughout the year, McKernan said.
The districts will use them internally to diagnose their students, finding out what they know and what they need to learn.
All those assessments, McKernan said, should also help students pass the NCLB test by the time they reach 11th grade."
--"Getting A Diploma Could Get Tougher", Zsombor Peter, Albuquerque Journal, 2/26/08

Okay, in the quoted material above can you spot that fallacy? Is it:

A. The idea that the more assessments one takes, the greater the chance of passing a new assessment?
B. That APS schools would have it together enough to "internally diagnose their students"?

C. Both A and B?

D. A trick question, as the whole paragraph is one big stinking pile o' fallacious thinking?
E. I'm an APS graduate, what does the word "fallacy" mean?

Write your answer on the back of a $100 bill and send it to this address:

Whichever Presidential Candidate Will End This Testing Nightmare The Quickest
Campaign Trail

Anywhere, USA









4 comments:

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Let's Play Spot That Fallacy!

Anything that comes out of Central Office is a Fallacy, that was just too easy!

Anonymous said...

Oh -Oh -Oh (hand in the air)
I CHOOSE E!
Am I wright? ;o)

Anonymous said...

I received my secondary education in the middle of the last century. But it seems to me that we had "short cycle assessments". Only they were called "pop quizzes". And I think that archaic system relied upon the classroom teacher to determine how students were progressing.

Portfolio reviews in lieu of passing the test? Elsy Fiero for Associate Superintendent of Portfolio Reviews!