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Explain, please!
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Posted on Dec 02 2011
Each time readers are jolted by excitement about the positive student performance outcomes at PSS, we raise the bar on education outcomes and such assurance by our Commissioner of Education is always our desire for progressive learning among our children in all the schools in the NMI. The application of the STAR Math software on student performance and teaching strategy is a tool that makes good investment in education. I would acknowledge the Commissioner’s conclusion that student math performance and teaching effectiveness are accurately measured by the STAR Math software.
The Commissioner noted that student performance validated the teaching modalities of math teachers. This tells me that the validation tests of measures of student performance in math and teaching modalities of teachers have been studied over a period of time. If PSS is studying what they think they are studying on student performance and teaching strategies and whether the measures they use are consistent, then the stakeholders of PSS ought to know how the statistics tells the story. The stakeholders also would have deep interest knowing the reliability of the test measures, including equivalency, stability, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability. If the study is not explained, the Commissioner’s oversimplified and generalized comment about the validity of student performance and teaching effectiveness is just plain rhetoric. I am sure the Commissioner means well, but she should engage in a more scholarly mode on this one.
Francisco R. Agulto
Chalan Kanoa, Saipan
