CERTAINLY, if students have been taught to do math using a calculator ...
that is, various problems they have been working on were done with
calculator assistance, then on tests that demand them to do these kinds of
problems, calculators should be allowed.
now, on tests ... we have options like:
1. no calculators allowed ... but this seems totally inconsistent with how
learning has taken place
2. hand out calculators to examinees ... all of the same type ... say,
basic functions and that is it ... but this is rather incongruent too ...
since i am assuming that problems would have been learned where calculators
were taught and used using more elaborate functions than the basic ones ...
NOT allowing that on a test seems sort of cheating the student who was
taught that way
3. let examinees use any calculator ... perhaps is a bit unfair to those
who are not up to programming a good calculator ... or, do not have
a better quality calculator to use ...
4. make sure that any examinee has a good quality calculator IF he/she
wants one ... after that, anything goes
what is fair in this case involves 2 separate issues:
A. students ought to be allowed to use tools on tests that are congruent
with how content was taught/learned (and not shortchanged in this process)
B. all examinees should be on an approximate equal footing as to tools that
are available to them (whether they can afford one or not)
to me, options 1 and 2 are unfair ... 3 has a tad bit of unfairness to it
but, not as much as options 1 or 2 ... actually, option 4 makes the most
sense to me ... even though it will cost the testing agency or school some
to implement it
finally, if you give a test where calculators CAN make a difference, then
you have all these associated problems to deal with ... but, if the test
does NOT rely on nor gives a benefit to those having calculators, it is not
an issue
At 07:31 AM 5/25/00 -0400, Bob Hayden wrote:
>----- Forwarded message from Sean Clancy -----
>
> > the other thing i wanted to mention was that ... if you develop some
> strict
> > calculator policy ... then you spend too much time at the beginning of a
> > class ... checking to make sure that each student ONLY has what is
> allowed ...
> >
>
> All calculators that store info have a reset function that should
>erase all stored info. I have been in classes where any calculator is
>permissable and the policy is you must erase the memory in the presence of
>the instructor.
>
>----- End of forwarded message from Sean Clancy -----
>
>I'm not sure it is that easy. For example, the AP Stats. exam allows
>calculators with certain functions. Some have these built in while
>for others programs are available to add the functions. Hence, they
>cannot erase memory since that would wipe out these admissable
>programs. In addition, there are programs available on the Internet
>to create a screen display that gives the appearance of memory having
>been cleared without actually doing so. These can be circumvented by
>an instructor who really knows the particular calculator, but that is
>not always the case.
>
>
> _
> | | Robert W. Hayden
> | | Department of Mathematics
> / | Plymouth State College MSC#29
> | | Plymouth, New Hampshire 03264 USA
> | * | 82 River Street
> / | Ashland, NH 03217-9702
> | ) (603) 968-9914 (home)
> L_____/ fax (603) 535-2943 (work)
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://mathpc04.plymouth.edu
>
>
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