I read the PSSA today.

This morning I reviewed the PSSA test that my son will take in a few weeks. The Guidance Counselor sat with me in a small meeting room as I read through the exam. The total time to review the 7th grade test was approximately one hour. I did not have to sign a confidentiality agreement, but I was asked to write down the fact that I reviewed the test on a piece of paper. If I wanted to, I could state why I was reading the test and then state my findings. I wrote the date and that my reason for reading the test was to determine if the test was fair and appropriate.


The exam actually consists of two booklets. One contains all the Math and Reading questions. The other is the answer booklet which has the infamous "bubbles" and the area where the students respond to open ended questions. The bubbles are much better than those of yesteryear. They are not crammed together onto one sheet. Instead each section has its bubbles placed on separate pages. This really eliminates confusion and the possibility of "skipping" a bubble. Unfortunately, the exam is set up so that the students must go back and forth from the exam booklet to the answer booklet. As a first time reader, I found the format a little confusing at first, but became used to it over time. The open ended questions are in the answer booklet, so the exam booklet gives directions at the end of a section such as "go to page 23 in the answer booklet and answer question 15". I found this confusing because the answer booklet page numbers were in a light shade and did not stand out on the page. Attention DRC (Data Recognition Corp.): A bright shade of red would make the pages easier to find.

The math had some of the same problems (with the numbers switched) as what my son has done in class. The open ended questions are similar in format as in class with the exception of some awkward wording. For example, a two part question is often segregated by a page break and the directions are given as "refer to specifics of the previous page to answer". I am sure I am not quoting this exactly, but I felt that for seventh grade the statement is hard to decipher. The math problems range from easy to complex.

The Reading test is difficult. Mechanically, I felt that there is not enough delineation between two different passages that the students are supposed to compare. Moreover, the subject matter is one in which I felt that some of the student's experience will limit them in answering the open ended questions. Figurative language is tested in a way that is similar to the sample question on this website. (PSSA sample questions).

Most reading passages have underlined words that the students must refer back to in order to determine the meaning of the underlined word. It will help a braille reader if it is allowable to have their hand guided back to the underlined word since, in being able to see the text, the visual reader certainly has the advantage in this situation. If my child was visually impaired it would be something I would ask about before he took the test.

Most of the open ended questions require the reader to cite examples from the text. The kind of questions asked are ones that I just want to say "Who Cares? Justify your existence in another way other than making up questions for this test." (Nasty, aren't I?) When reading the passages, I could always tell which parts there would be a question on because these paragraphs are particularly vague. After all, we need to separate the advanced from the proficient, the proficient from the basic, and allow the below basic to be totally blown away. Isn't that what the test does so well?

Some reading passages require the reading of recipes and step by step instructions. While I know these are important parts of our lives, I am sure that it is difficult for seventh graders to uphold interest in these subjects much less answer questions on them.

Generally, I can see why the reading open ended scores produce more variance than the math open ended scores. That is, when the open ended questions are graded, the scores given by two separate scorers are different even while reading the same answer from the same student. Much of the process is subjective based on one's interpretation of the passage and what would be an ideal expected answer. From a child's perspective, differences in beliefs, experiences, interests, and ideas will influence the way any given student understands, interprets, and answers these questions.

After reviewing this test, I realize that the quest to learn even the basic of skills entails so much more than what the PSSA or any other test could possibly reflect. Now more than ever, I truly cannot believe that we use this test to judge our children and label our schools. There are other ways to build student proficiency. They are called classroom exams, hands on activities, individualized education, smaller classes, quality teachers, strong, involved parents, dedicated school boards, and government funding that rewards all of these components.