-> Timed tests...  what educational value for regular ed kids, IYO, do
-> timed tests really have?  If, as you say, your daughter understands
-> the concept and can arrive at the correct answer by doing the 5X8 =
-> 40 +8 +8 = 56 doesn't that indicate rather strongly that the timed
-> test result is not a true indicator of her knowledge?
You know, as I typed that message I thought about whether or not to
mention "timed tests" and whether it might provoke a response.
Over time I've felt any number of different things about timed tests.
Certainly in the field of mathematics, I feel that understanding the
concepts is the most important thing and that if a child needs longer to
complete a test, that (ideally) the child should have that time needed.
Practically, however, in my secondary classroom we have 45 minute class
periods, and the kids have to take the test in the time alotted. Then
again, this is probably not what you are referring to as "timed tests".
I remember that at one time, before my children had reached school age,
reading somewhere about teachers giving "timed tests" on basic math
facts, where kids had to do something like 100 problems in only a matter
of a few minutes. It sounded ridiculous to me. It sounded like too many
problems in too short a time. Then, after a time, I forgot about reading
that info since it didn't relate to anything going on in my life at that
time.
Enter my son's third grade class. His first year in public school (he
had just changed schools) and he comes home telling me that he had to
take one of these timed tests. I believe it was in addition/subtraction
to start with. 100 problems in five minutes or less, five mistakes
allowed. My initial reaction (which I didn't share with my son) was to
call the teacher and object. But then I thought about it, and thought,
"this teacher has been teaching this grade level for some time, and must
know whether or not this is  a reasonable expectation for a 3rd grade
child. Certainly she has seen, in the past, most all of her students be
able to reach this goal, otherwise she would not continue to require the
students to meet it." So, I cooperated at home with drilling my son on
flashcards until he could do the timed test in the required amount of
time. Later in the year (or maybe it was the following year?) he had to
do timed tests in multiplication. Seemed quite doable. The teacher did
give rewards. For instance: when all of the students in the class had
passed their timed test on multiplication, they had an ice-cream sundae
party.
As for my daughter: Certainly she understands the idea of
multiplication. But we have been going through agonizingly long homework
sessions, because she will not commit the facts to memory. I'm sure it
is taking her three times as long as it should to do some of those
assignments. Talk about fostering a bad attitude about math! or
schoolwork in general! I think that the advantage offered by these timed
tests is that it forces the kids to commit the facts to memory, and this
results in their subsequent assignments being completed more rapidly.
As a high school teacher, it would be a nightmare to me to have to teach
Algebra I to students who did not know their basic math facts. As I was
working out an example on the board they would be hung up on things like
how the 3x7 turned into a 21 instead of focussing on the algebraic
principles involved in the example (the math facts should be transparent
in such an algebra example, being obvious and trivial for the
student...but for kids who have not learned their basic facts...and this
probably causes some such students to do poorly in algebra).
So, I guess I feel at peace with timed tests now. I don't know if I
would give timed tests if I were teaching that grade level, but it does
seem an acceptable teaching method to me. If there are other ways that
you can suggest to motivate students to know their math facts and be
able to recall them rapidly and with ease, I'd be interested to hear
about it. While I don't expect that several months from now my daughter
will necessarily be able to complete the timed tests in the required
amount of time (due to it having been some time since we practiced for
such a test) I do think that she will see the benefit from having
studied for such a test, in that all of her homework assignments in math
will be completed more quickly, and she will enjoy this. (Already I've
noticed a difference before Christmas break.)
Sheila
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