Site Assessment
We were recently assigned the task
of aligning TerraNova test data to instruction. My first concern was finding
out what the TerraNova exam covers. The searches reported in this document
represent my findings.
I usually use the Google search
engine. In looking for this particular data, I opted to use the advanced search
feature. I prefer to increase the number of sites per page to 20. The key words
chosen were ³TerraNova AND Instruction² (without the quotes). Google returned
14,800 hits. Most of the relevant sites were located on the first 2-3 pages of
results and will be discussed later.
Three valuable sites Google Located were:
1. http://www.ctb.com/mktg/terranova/tn_links.jsp
2. http://www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/research/Assessment/TNRpts.htm
3. http://www.rcs.k12.tn.us/terranova_strategies_3-5.htm
It also returned a few unusable sources sometimes on
topics other than the exams. Some results included:
1. http://saa.phila.k12.pa.us/communications/TerraNova_4.pdf
2. http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/questions/questions_about.html
3. www.duniway.com/images/pdf/Terranova921Manual.pdf
As a second choice, I decided to try a grouping (or
categorizing) search engine, Vivisimo. I clicked on ³Advanced Link² and I set the preferences to return 500
results (the default is 200). Again I searched for ³TerraNova AND Instruction²
(without the quotes). This engine returned 386 total hits.
Three
valuable pages that Vivisimo located were:
1. http://www.rcs.k12.tn.us/terranova_strategies_k-2.htm
2. http://www.state.tn.us/education/wmterranova.htm
3. http://www.agsnet.com/group.asp?nGroupInfoID=a70150
Three
sites that were not useful were:
1. http://www.rockypointschools.org/Curriculum
Corner.htm
2. http://www.montvale.k12.nj.us/actionplan03-04.htm
3. http://www.alexandercsd.org/html/oct_5_es.htm
The sites that I felt were relevant to the topic
contained information about the test itself and how to prepare for it. In
deciding which sites were most relevant, I checked the author and/or the
publisher of the information, date of publication, design of the site, and
other factors discussed later. The three Google searches are discussed first.
http://www.ctb.com/mktg/terranova/tn_links.jsp
is a link to CTB/McGraw Hill TerraNova, Second Edition. I deem this site to
be accurate because they are the publisher of the exam itself and the site was
updated in 2004. They should have the most accurate information. I am only
cautious that the information will be persuasive in that it is in this
companyıs best interest to sell the exam. The siteıs navigation tools are very
clear, step by step, and arranged in a vertical column on the left of every
page. It contains easy to read language in pleasing colors with sporadic
graphic images.
http://www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/research/Assessment/TNRpts.htm
is a PowerPoint file saved as a web page. This appears to reside on a public
schoolıs (K-12) server in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Much of the content is
attributed to McGraw Hill (second hand information is not as good as the
original source, but I do have that source listed above). The slideshow is
arranged in clear language. The navigation bar to the left allows easy browsing
of each slide. Though there is no author, date or publisher stated, the ease of
use of this site and the ability to verify the information on the publisherıs
site enabled me to rely on these pages.
http://www.rcs.k12.tn.us/terranova_strategies_3-5.htm
This site is brought to us by Lisa Bogle, the Elementary Education Coordinator
for Rutherford County Schools, TN. The links are clustered at the bottom of
this page. ³Up² is where to find additional information, such as the author and
associated school (That information is not contained on this page itself). The page does contain their strategies
for the 3-5 grade exam. The page and schoolıs site are not visually appealing,
but are nonetheless readable.
The following helpful sites were
retrieved from Vivisiomo:
http://www.rcs.k12.tn.us/terranova_strategies_k-2.htm
is simailar to the previous one, also brought to us by Lisa Bogle of
Ruthherford County Schools, TN. This one is tips for the K-2 portion of the
TerraNova Exam. I did not see this listing in the Google results.
http://www.state.tn.us/education/wmterranova.htm
is from the Tennessee State Education Department entitled, ³What Teachers Need
to Know². It is organized as a series of questions and answers of basics of the
test itself, updated in February, 1999. There is one link to return to the
SEDıs home page. There is a built in search button to browse the rest of their
site for additional information. This portion of the site is organized into
categories with links along the left side.
http://www.agsnet.com/group.asp?nGroupInfoID=a70150
is a link to AGS Publishing company. Their physical address, email, and phone
numbers are printed on the bottom of each page in their site. There are some free
samples. This as a publisherıs site describing a book on TerraNova preparation.
The samples and study information are helpful, as would the entire book which
we will consider purchasing. This is a professionally designed business site.
The following websites returned by Vivisimo were not helpful and/or rejected:
http://centerville.anderson5.net/computer.htm A description of the Centerville Elementary schoolıs computer lab. The page was returned because it mentions software for the TerraNova test prep, but not the software by name. It also does not list the location of the school itself or any contact information.
http://www.rockypointschools.org/Curriculum Corner.htm This page appears to be part of the Rocky Point school district site. It mentions the TerraNova exam and it states that results from the test are expected in September. The date on this page is 2001. The date at the bottom of every page lists an update in 2003.
http://www.alexandercsd.org/html/oct_5_es.htm is from the Alexander Central Schools in Alexander, NY. It appears to be notes for a meeting or workshop on Oct 1, 2001. It contains examples and many facts and other data, but the sources are not revealed. The only name listed on this page is John Ogden. After searching the rest of the schoolıs site, I learned that he is the coordinator of technology.
The following are Googleıs rejected sites:
www.duniway.com/images/pdf/Terranova921Manual.pdf
this is an instruction manual from a company named Terranova Scientific
Instruments. It has nothing to do with the exam. It did meet the criteria for
³TerraNova AND Instruction² as it is an instruction manual. Had I seen too many
of these in my results, I could have used a NOT for ³TerraNova Scientific² to
eliminate these listings.
http://saa.phila.k12.pa.us/communications/TerraNova_4.pdf
is a report from January 2002 on the Philadelphia Schools TerraNova results,
prepared by Amy Guerin. It seems to be from an official source, the School
District of Philadelphiaıs web site and the information is most likely accurate,
thought it is not very interesting. Our audience is New York teachers and we
will be more concerned with our rankings, therefore this site is rejected.
http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/questions/questions_about.html
is from the National Institute for Literacy, part of the US department of
Education so it sure seems reliable, unfortunately, the site is on phonics and
literacy without any reference to the TerraNova at all.
As a comparison of the engines, Google did return more results (hits), however I was not going to have time to read through 14,800 hits. I would not even have time for Vivisimoıs 393. Some of the useful links in Vivisimo were in different categories so maybe this feature is not as helpful as I had hoped. I am also not sure how it pares down so many hits to just the most likely few. I found many more irrelevant hits in the Visimo engine, where with Google I had to go to the 30th entry. (Many of the Google Hits were sub pages of the original site). Google returned may more PDF files and has an ability to turn them off, if requested. This feature is available on the ³advanced search² page. Also as an interesting result, Google located a page of 3rd to 5th grade tips for the exam, but not the K-2 tips. Vivisimo returned only K-2 tips but not 3rd-5th grade ones.
The general qualities to look for in a web site can be broken down into navigation and content. Since the search engines took care of locating the information, I focused more on the content. Navigation did come into play when searching for the publisher of the information, in which case navigation links of some kind would be helpful.
Most of the information regarding evaluating web sites asks us to locate the author, his or her credentials, contact information and date of publication. Most of the sites (good or bad) did not contain this information on the page the search engine found. Other techniques, such as reading the URL to determine the host location and deleting portions of the domain to reach a ³higher² page in the site were often required to determine where the information was located and who created and or published it.
The information was presented clearly, well organized, without spelling or other mistakes and was generally easy to read and understand. (The Philadelphia report was technical and more of a dry recitation of numbers. It was also rejected). Most information was presented by school districts or state education departments which should be reliable sources. Most of the sources selected contained dates within the past few years, as the exam has been updated to the ³second edition².
I tried to keep in mind the intended audience of each of the sites, though it is rarely stated in the information itself, to see if the information is biased. The school reports may be biased towards showing higher scores when presenting data to the community. I looked for asterisks or footnotes, but did not see any in these pages). The creator of the test should have the most knowledge of its contents and intended purpose. Other sites may list the testıs limitations. The tips and workshop sites seemed to be intended for teachers. These are very helpful if the information contained within is from a qualified source. (It can be argued either way, but I accepted the Coordinator of Elementary Education to be qualified to offer tips and suggestions to the staff). Tips for success are opinions and should be accepted as such, therefore I believe they can be used in our project.
As stated previously, the navigation and visual appearance of a web site is less important to me, the information is what we are after. I do see that a well designed site makes it easier for visitors to find desired information. In many of the pages returned by the search engines, the author was not stated or publisher of the page unknown. A series of links to the home page or page back to a page containing a link to that one would have been helpful, though it was not always present. An easy to navigate, consistent look and feel and pleasing color scheme appear as time was spent on those features and that the information inside has also been well prepared.
Resources:
Roblyer, M. (2003). Starting Out on the Internet: A Learning Journey for Teachers, Second Ed. Merril Prentice Hall. Pg. 21-25
Branham, C. (1998). A Student's
Guide to Research with the WWW. Retrieved
June 6, 2004 from http://www.slu.edu/departments/english/research/research.html
Schrock, K. (2002). The ABCıs
of Website Evaluation. Classroom Connect.
Pg. 1-3. Retrieved June 12, 2004, from
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html
