‘This poor excuse for a test replaces teachers as evaluators and that is a crime’ — James Hope

By Sharon Schmidt

Fourth grade teacher James Hope posted the following Gateway test questions and his commentary on the Concerned Parents of Georgia website (www.cpoga.org) in April 2000 after the test had been administered in the Gwinett County, Georgia, schools:

“ GUESS WHAT?” Hope wrote. “These are 4th grade Gateway test questions the children had to answer that are not on the AKS!!!”

Math

This table shows the population of five cities in 1990 and their areas.

City	Area(square miles)	Population(in 1990)
Atlanta	131	394,000
Buffalo	42	328,000
Columbus	181	633,000
Des Moines	65	193,000
Houston	556	1,651,000

1. Rearrange this information to make a new table that would show the following pattern: The larger a city’s area the larger the population.

2. Four of these cities have about 3,000 people per square mile. The city with over 7,000 people per square mile does not fit the pattern. According to your table, which city does not fit the pattern? Why not?

3. Which city has more than 7,000 people per square mile?

“ Can you figure it out?” Hope asked. “The answers to 2 and 3 are two different cities. The calculation involves a three-digit divisor. This is also a poorly worded question. This is not on the AKS! No wonder they must lower the cut scores.”

“ Another math question:

• Suppose you use a calculator to find the product of 4 x 68. Estimate to tell whether the result is reasonable. 782. Explain your reasoning.
• “ Estimate what??? 4 x 68 or 782? Who knows? The directions are unclear.”

Social Studies

• Approximately how far did Columbus travel on his fourth voyage? F) 90 degrees west; G) 100 degrees west; H) 110 degrees west; I) 120 degrees west.

“ This question is poorly worded also,” Hope wrote. Students tried to add Columbus’ starting point (10 degrees west) and subtract from 90 degree west, which was the furthest point west. The question should read, How far west did Columbus travel on his fourth voyage? Answer: 90 degrees west. The children were confused.”

• One question gives information about the Stamp Act and uses the word “agreement.” The multiple choice answer changes “agreement” to “consent.”

“ The children don’t know what consent means. It is not on the AKS.”

• One of the social studies questions asked the students to measure the length of a very narrow Lake Erie.

“ Problem is,” Hope noted, “there is a big arrow on the map blocking out the east portion of the lake, so the kids only measure to the arrow.”

Science

• Which of these material is synthetic? A) wool; B) wood; C) nylon; D) cotton

“ Guess what? The word synthetic is not mentioned in any fourth grade science book. How is this fair?”

• Identify the stages of the water cycle by the labeling on the chart. Briefly state what happens at each stage in the water cycle.

“ This question is lifted from Gwinnett’s sample test,” Hope observed. “Gwinnett county let out a Gateway question! Those students who were taught from the sample test had an unfair advantage.”

Hope’s conclusion

“ This test is a nightmare,” Hope wrote. “These were only some of the problems. The fact is that this poor excuse for a test replaces teachers as evaluators and that is a crime.”