Learning Essentials Assessment Program

By Dr. Bob Valiant, on December 13th, 2008%

10-Points in the Development of a Quality Assessment Program I  support the use of content standards as one component of an accountability system for the students and schools of the State of Washington. I further believe that state required accountability tests, based on these standards, must be practical and useful to parents and educators. These . . . → Read More: Learning Essentials Assessment Program

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Planning A Trip to the Future? Get a Good Map

By Dr. Bob Valiant, on March 8th, 2007%

Suppose you are in St. Louis, Missouri and you are planning a trip to Vancouver, Washington. Only two maps are available, the one given Lewis and Clark at the start of their journey, or a U.S. highway map from Walmart. Which map would you choose?

. . . → Read More: Planning A Trip to the Future? Get a Good Map

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The Cabinetmaker

By Dr. Bob Valiant, on January 24th, 2007%

Let’s say I am a cabinetmaker specializing in high quality, world-class furniture. I want to be sure my work stacks up against the competition so I get out my trusty hammer, which is about a foot long, to measure the dimensions of my new cabinet. I drop the hammer on the surface of my . . . → Read More: The Cabinetmaker

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A Common Misconception?

By Dr. Bob Valiant, on November 25th, 2006%

“The WASL concept of subject matter testing as a basis for earning a comprehensive high school diploma seems intuitively obvious.”

It may seem obvious, but the people who design such tests and the experts who interpret their results suggest that they absolutely should not be used for such purposes.

For example, the . . . → Read More: A Common Misconception?

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Things That Bother Me About the WASL

By Dr. Bob Valiant, on October 19th, 2006%

Here are some things that bother me about the WASL and Washington Standards:

1. I have attempted without success to discover an accepted framework of learning that supports Washington’s model of curriculum and assessment. OSPI references something called the “Carkhuff Conceptual Framework,” but I have been unable to find anything about it in the . . . → Read More: Things That Bother Me About the WASL

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WASL-Wikiality: Sounds Like a Job for Mythbusters

By Dr. Bob Valiant, on October 10th, 2006%

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia where truth is determined democratically. If enough users agree that something is true, it becomes fact. Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s Colbert Report has coined the term Wiki-ality to describe the reality defined by such a process. This article will attempt to show that the WASL is based on . . . → Read More: WASL-Wikiality: Sounds Like a Job for Mythbusters

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