Why do the state test developers continually confuse the kids by changing or asking questions in a difficult way?  I’m repeatedly asked this question both at large workshop sessions and in the direct test preparation work I do in schools.

Teachers feel, as I did, that there seems to be intention on the part of test developers to trick students rather than to measure their comprehension. This is a pervasive feeling on the part of educators mostly because they feel that the questions are worded in such a way that kids don’t recognize what they are being asked and that causes the break down in their ability to choose the correct answer to a question rather than them not knowing the information needed to answer the question.

For example, if after reading a narrative passage we asked students to select the correct answer from among 4 choices following a question that states “What do you think will happen next?” rather than “What will most probably or most likely happen next” or “What will most probably not happen next?” They will most probably be more successful picking the correct answer to a question worded like the first example. 

After thinking about why it is important to expose kids to questions stated in this manner I think it may be because test developers are most likely not trying to trick kids but most likely want teachers to question students in a way that will deepen their thinking .We don’t generally asks questions the way they are worded on state exams but we should, because they match the type of thinking required at  higher levels of comprehension.

If we ask our students “ What will happen next?” when we want them to predict the outcome of a story based on evidence in the text the conclusions they come to are not what will happen next but rather what will most likely or most probably happen next. We need them to understand that they are synthesizing information in order to theorize about the text. Using the word “will” doesn’t leave the door open to editing their prediction. Similarly, when we introduce a new text and we ask, “What do you think this story is about?” Using the word “is” creates an element of certainty which in reality may lead to an answer that turns out to be incorrect after we acquire more information. What we should be asking is “What do you think this story may be about?” They need to understand that we are making our best guess as to what may occur or what the story may or may not be about and that we need to leave our thinking open to revision as we read the text and acquire information. 

A very simple solution would be to reword the way we ask questions in order to get a more thoughtful response: