Assessment Genre:
The assessment genre that I have chosen to critically review is the Graduate Records Exam (GRE), which is an entrance exam commonly required for admission to master's and doctoral programs. I chose the GRE because I myself have taken the GRE twice, once for entry into a master's program and a second time when applying to a PhD program, and I discuss the GRE frequently with my advisees. As an academic advisor that works primarily with students who are seeking admission to graduate programs in healthcare, I talk about the GRE quite often and how to prep for this type of exam. Though the GRE is not as intensive as say the MCAT for med school, the GRE is still challenging and requires preparation. In the sections below, will break down this assessment in more detail, discuss how I incorporate it into my work as an advisor, and go over how a Understanding by Design can improve understanding and preparation for the GRE. I will also be referencing Understanding by Design by Grant, Wiggins, and McTighe.
What is the GRE?
The GRE tests students on 3 subject areas: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing. Test takers can earn 130-170 points for the verbal reasoning section, 130-170 for the quantitative reasoning section, and 0-6 points for the analytical writing section. Based on score results across all test takers, the scores are also given a percentile. For example, a score of 161 on the verbal reasoning section equates to the 88th percentile. This is an important factor when applying to graduate programs as admissions will often focus on the percentile for each section.
Let's look at the individual sections more closely, starting with verbal. The verbal reasoning section of the GRE includes fill-in-the-blank sentences n which test takers choose a word from a word bank that best fits into the sentence. These questions can have 1-3 blank spaces that must be filled in with the appropriate word(s). The verbal reasoning section also includes short, single-paragraph statements and test takers must answer 1-2 questions regarding key ideas from the passage. Finally, the verbal section will include a few lengthier passages that will be followed by 4-5 questions on different ideas of the passage.
The quantitative reasoning section assesses students knowledge in algebra, geometry, and data analysis. According to the ETS, which provides the GRE, the quantitative reasoning section "Measures the ability to understand, interpret and analyze quantitative information, solve problems using mathematical models, and apply the basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis" (2020). The types of questions will be randomized and are not broken into sub-sections.
There are two analytical writing questions and students are given 30 minutes per question to respond. The first question asks the test taker to analyze an issue. A short passage will provide an opinion on a particular issue and the test taker will have to evaluate the issue before developing an argument with examples to support their points. The second questions analyzes an argument. Similar to the issue question, another short passage is presented and the test taker must consider the argument and either agree or disagree with the statements made, backed up with examples and reasoning.
I have included two images below to provide a visual on how the GRE test breaks down each section, time limits per section, and a sample score sheet.
Evaluating the GRE
In using the Assessment Design Checklist from my previous post, I am going to analyze the GRE and preparation for this exam based on the following questions:
Does the formative assessment take into account prior knowledge or beliefs?
At its core, the GRE assesses prior knowledge and understanding. This is evident in the GRE itself as it assesses a student's analytical and problem solving skills, which have been acquired prior to taking this exam. Based on practice exams and official GRE scores, students can identify areas of concern and what subject areas need to be strengthened. If a student is performing poorly on geometry questions, the GRE has identified that additional practice in this area will be necessary to improve performance on the exam. In discussing preparation with a student, you can ask the student about their prior knowledge as it relates to different sections of the GRE and their comfortability in these subject areas.
Does the formative assessment include opportunities for students to learn from other students?
The GRE of course does not include a partner or group assignment and is very much based on the student's individual knowledge, but GRE prep could include opportunities for students to engage in learning from others. Many of my students have found study groups focused on prepping for the GRE to be very helpful, specifically when they could ask questions from their peers and analyze ideas in teams. Some students have also found GRE tutors, which are often other students, to be helpful in their preparation. The GRE does provide opportunities for regular feedback, both in exam scoring and self-assessing why certain questions were incorrect. The self-reflection piece is key in determining why certain questions were more difficult, and I encourage my students to take the time to read through how the correct answer was determined.
How Does Understanding by Design Apply?
An effective technique in assisting students in their preparation for the GRE is to consider Backwards by Design, which "yields greater coherence among desired results, key performances, and teaching and learning experiences, resulting in better student performance— the purpose of design" (Wiggins, 2005, p. 33). Knowing that a student is prepping for the GRE, which would be considered the end goal, we can discuss how to appropriately support their test prep. First, test prep should not be limited to memorizing math equations and vocab cards. The more essential task is having the student transfer what they learn in the classroom to real-world examples. "[Transfer] is an essential ability because teachers can only help students learn a relatively small number of ideas, examples, facts, and skills in the entire field of study; so we need to help them transfer their inherently limited learning to many other settings, issues, and problems" (Wiggins, 2005, p. 40). For example, I encourage my students to begin reading scientific journals to assist with reading comprehension and to expand their vocabulary. Math can also be applied to everyday experiences, such as looking at a can of soup and calculating its volume using the volume equation for cylinders.
Knowing the students end goal of taking the GRE, you can develop various performance tasks with your student to evaluate progress towards achieving a competitive score on the GRE. These performance tasks can include: having the student design a study schedule, regular check-in dates with you as their advisor, and asking the student how they are applying what they are learning in their courses to everyday experiences. Once you have created these performance tasks with your student, the final step should be assisting them in finding resource materials that will help them prepare for the GRE.
My Recommendations
To advisors that are working with students that are seeking entry to graduate programs that require the GRE, I recommend having a discussion about their study plan, prior knowledge, and potential barriers to their performance on the GRE. Remember to discuss the transfer of knowledge to every day experiences. This is important because "to know which fact to use when requires more than another fact. It requires understanding— insight into essentials, purpose, audience, strategy, and tactics" (Wiggins, 2005, p. 40). To assist in guiding the conversation, I like to use the following questions:
What is their reasoning for taking the GRE?
What barriers or concerns is the student having about the GRE or certain sections of the GRE?
Do they feel that their they can create a structured schedule for test prep or would a prep course be helpful?
What resources are they currently using in order to prep for the GRE? Why did they choose these particular resources?
How can they use everyday experiences to help prepare for the GRE? Have them give you different examples.
These questions are meant to be reflective and encourages the student to self-evaluate their study plan and preparation for the GRE. We are also applying three key ideas of uncovering, discussed more in-depth by Wiggins: "Uncovering students’ potential misunderstandings (through focused questions, feedback, diagnostic assessment); Uncovering the questions, issues, assumptions, and gray areas lurking underneath the black and white of surface accounts; Uncovering the core ideas at the heart of understanding a subject, ideas that are not obvious— and perhaps are counterintuitive or baffling— to the novice. (2005, p. 46). Regular and thoughtful feedback is essential when talking with a student about their test prep strategies.
It's important to remember that the GRE may feel like a daunting task to many students, especially if they experience test anxiety or do not consider themselves "good test-takers", so encourage the student to make smaller goals for themselves. For example, assist the student first in creating a schedule in their planner to include 1-2 hours per night for GRE test prep.
Digital Contexts
The GRE for some time now has been offered as a computer based exam, provided by testing centers like Prometric. An interesting challenge that has occurred due to COVID-19 is that students were unable to use testing centers. A short-term approach to this problem was offering test takers to take the GRE at home with a webcam proctor. The benefits of this was that students could safely complete the GRE at home and progress with their graduate school applications. However, technical issues, such as unreliable internet connections and computer errors, became immediate concerns. For example, one of my students had their computer crash in the middle of the exam and 25 precious minutes were lost. The testing center did not allow the student any extended time to make-up missed questions and ETS did not offer a refund. The GRE has since resumed normal testing operations at specific testing sites, but this temporary at-home option brought up very problematic assumptions, including that every student has internet access and the required technology to take this exam. Additionally, many admissions offices are reevaluating the need for the GRE in their admissions process, with many programs waiving the GRE completely for this and future cycles. It begs the question, is the GRE fully assessing what makes a student's potential success in a graduate program?
Reference
About the GRE® General Test. (2020). Retrieved September 25, 2020, from
https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about
Wiggins, Grant, and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision &
Curriculum Development, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/michstate-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3002118. Created from michstate-ebooks on 2020-09-25 10:39:47.
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