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Old 04-05-2012, 02:40 PM   #3
Rathji
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction View Post
Sorry if posted already... It's a few days old now, but this is completely insane.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyl...-school-tests/

I believe in being sensitive to people, but this is a tad overboard:
What is the problem with removing topics from the tests that some people might not have had access to?

I recall an assignment in first year University where we had to make a simple poker program. Everyone knows poker right? Guess not. Out of a class of 100 people, almost 30 were at the front of the class afterwards when she said "If anyone needs any clarification about the rules of poker, just come ask".

Some people are not exposed to these things and if it isn't part of the curriculum why would you suddenly expect that you should have a qustion based on that external knowledge?

Would you feel it would be appropriate for a question that asked about the probability of getting 5 Dukes in the Chinese card game Gnau in a math exam? Even with an explanation, some students might understand completely what that game is and how to answer the question while others would sit there and spend a lot longer trying to work through the explanation.

If testing doesn't accurately compare one student to another, then you might as well not test and just had everyone a participant ribbon.
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