# data[].attributes.body
High-stakes, multiple-choice testing is comparative, competitive, and inadequate. They are not representative of student abilities and affect the confidence of students by labeling them as "below average" or "above average".

This kind of testing is harmful to low-income and ELL students.

This kind of testing does not test critical thinking, reasoning, or problem-solving skills. They only assess simple procedures.

# data[].attributes.headline
Please make contribute your talking points below

# data[].attributes.subject
Please make contribute your talking points below

# data[].attributes.body
1. name

2. points

# data[].attributes.headline
Other countries don't agree with our teaching methods.

# data[].attributes.subject
Other countries don't agree with our teaching methods.

# data[].attributes.body
Pamela and Janet

# data[].attributes.headline
The impact of gender identification at the beginning of a test. 

# data[].attributes.subject
The impact of gender identification at the beginning of a test. 

# data[].attributes.body
Pamela and Janet

# data[].attributes.body
"Simon had reasonably assumed that the result he was given should tell him something about how hard he had worked or what he had learned in mathematics, but it did neither of these things. Testing and reporting measures such as those experienced by Simon can create low-achieving students, crushing students' confidence and giving them an identity as a low achiever."

# data[].attributes.body
2. Tests do not assess thinking, reasoning, or problem solving all of which are at core of mathematics, instead the asses procedures under timed conditions

# data[].attributes.headline
A test should communicate to students what they have learned and how much they have learned over a period of time.

# data[].attributes.subject
A test should communicate to students what they have learned and how much they have learned over a period of time.

# data[].attributes.body
Emina

# data[].attributes.headline
The beauty of the assessment for learning approach is that it not only gives critical information to learners but that it also gives the same important information to teachers, helping them gear their teaching to their students' needs.

# data[].attributes.subject
The beauty of the assessment for learning approach is that it not only gives critical information to learners but that it also gives the same important information to teachers, helping them gear their teaching to their students' needs.

# data[].attributes.body
Emina

# data[].attributes.headline
Teachable moments are taken away by testing.

# data[].attributes.subject
Teachable moments are taken away by testing.

# data[].attributes.body
Pamela and Janet

# data[].attributes.headline
What children choose to put on paper is the best indicator of what they understand, not their choice of one out of four options, none of which may mean anything to them. 

# data[].attributes.subject
What children choose to put on paper is the best indicator of what they understand, not their choice of one out of four options, none of which may mean anything to them. 

# data[].attributes.body
Pamela and Janet

# data[].attributes.body
"Testing and reporting measures such as those experienced by Simon can create low-achieving students, crushing students' confidence and giving them an identity as a low achiever."

# data[].attributes.body
"He found that when students took math test in which they recorded their gender at the start of the test, women underperformed. "

# data[].attributes.body
Points and your name.

# data[].attributes.body
two teaching approaches:

communicative approach

project-based

“students need to be actively involved in their learning and they need to be engaged in a broad form of mathematics— using and applying methods, and representing and communicating ideas.” (82 Boaler)

By relating mathematics to real life, you can give students a reason why they’re learning and a motivation to learn. It also stops students from feeling as though math is meant for school and school only.

The project-based approach resulted in higher examination grades because it improved students’ problem-solving

# data[].attributes.body
Project based vs. traditional math teaching. According to the results from the case study between Amber Hill school and Phoenix Park school, project based yields better scores on tests. Students at Amber Hill were disappointed and voiced their concerns about math lacking significance in their lives due to the way it was being taught.

# data[].attributes.body
"and they taught students to respect the contributions of other students, regardless of their prior achievement or their status with other students."

# data[].attributes.body
"The students were given an unusual degree of freedom in math lessons." Learning about the project-based approach in math I thought was a great way to allow students to be forced to do the work but in a more interactive and creative way. It allows the students to be able to take direction in ways that interest them, which isn't always an option when learning math.

# data[].attributes.body
"one unfortunate but common side effect of some classroom approaches is that student's develop beliefs about the inferiority or superiority of different students" Depending on how a teacher approaches certain activities it puts in the student's mind stereotyping their peers. instead the approach from the teacher should be instilling in the student's that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses

# data[].attributes.body
"The teachers at trailside knew that being good at mathematics involves many different ways of working, as mathematicians' accounts tells us. It involves asking questions, drawing pictures and graphs, rephrasing problems, justifying methods, and representing ideas, in addition to calculating with procedures "

Math isn't just about numbers and equations, it should involve a lot of problem solving skills. Asking questions, visualizing through drawings, and finding new ways to tackle problems are all part of thinking like a mathematician. Also, being able to explain your methods is just as important as getting the right answer.

# data[].attributes.body
Even though students are on different levels, they constantly are teaching each other and helping each other out.

# data[].attributes.body
Points and your name.

# data[].attributes.body
“If students are not given opportunities to learn challenging and high level work, then they do not achieve at high levels” If students are never challenged it takes away the opportunity to grow and succeed beyond their current level of knowledge. Also can help grow their critical thinking skills and help them have higher expectations for themselves when they know they can achieve higher

# data[].attributes.body
Countries that reject ability grouping are performing better statistically than countries that employ ability grouping. For example, Japan focuses on whole group learning because the education system believes that everyone can do everything so they can't divide by ability. Furthermore, the education system believes in everyone growing together academically and learning and building off of each other's knowledge.

# data[].attributes.body
"Thus the tracking decisions made by middle school teachers impact the classes reached in high school and, from there, students chances of being admitted to colleges of their choice."

# data[].attributes.body
"The fact that children's futures are decided for them by the time they are placed into groups, at an early age, derides the word of schools and contravenes basic knowledge about child development and learning."

# data[].attributes.body
"students in tracked classes in American high schools not only developed ideas about their own potential, but they began to categorize others in unfortunate ways-- as smart or dumb, quick or slow."

# data[].attributes.body
Ability grouping causes students to think that their ability is "fixed" and cannot improve. This leads to students having low expectations for themselves and prevents them from trying.

Ability grouping affects the future of students - including the high school classes they'll reach and the colleges they'll get into. The worst part is that it steals opportunities away from students whose potentials were limited. Ability grouping decides a student's life often based on a single test score. It takes away what students could have become.

Teachers of tracked groups often assume that the students have the same abilities and learn the same way. Because of this prejudgement, students' differing needs are ignored and a cookie cutter style of teaching is used. They are also only being exposed to one resource- the teacher.

In mixed ability groups, students' needs are tended to and students act as resources for each other. It is a collaborative, supportive environment. They are given more opportunities to challenge themselves and grow as learners.

# data[].attributes.body
"Carissa Romero found that when students moved into ability groups in grade seven, positive growth-mind-set thinking reduced, and the students who were most negatively affected were those going into the top track. Many more of the students started to believe that they were smart, and this set students on a very vulnerable pathway, where they became fearful of making mistakes and start to avoid more challenging work"

"Through my own research I have found that students in tracked classes in American high schools not only developed ideas about their own potential, but they began to categorize others in unfortunate ways-as smart or dum, quick or slow"

# data[].attributes.body
"When teachers have lower expectations for students and they teach them low-level work, the children's achievement is suppressed."

# data[].attributes.body
"When students learn to work well and respectfully together and their different strengths are seen as a resource rather than a point to ridicule, then children are helped by being able to achieve at high levels and society is helped through the development of respectful, caring young people."

# data[].attributes.body
"Whether or not to group students by prior attainment (often called ability) is one of the most controversial topics in education. Many parents support ability grouping because they want their high-achieving, motivated children to be working with similar children."

I get why some parents support ability grouping for high-achieving students, they want their children to be challenged and surrounded by peers who are equally motivated. However, it's important to consider the downsides, which can be limited opportunities for growth and making others feel labeled based on their current abilities. There should be a balanced approach that benefits all students.