I chose the 8th grade informational practice since I teach middle school social studies and a majority of our reading is informational text. I liked that it allows the students to go at their own pace. I also liked the immediate feedback students get when they are done. It notes a topic for each question which is helpful for teachers. At our school, if students are struggling with a certain aspect of reading they go to a reading interventions class at the end of the day. This would help them know which areas students are struggling in and better able to address those problems and select reading passages and questions that specifically address those problems. At the bottom of the page it gives "Recommendations" to go to for extra practice and it aligns the questions with Common Core standards.
Under Job Searching skills I chose the Work keys Locating Information. There was a test designed to ascertain whether a person could read a computer printout. This particular printout was an order at a dry cleaners. You had to read the information (number of shirts dropped off, when they were dropped off, pick up date and time, etc) and answer questions about it. I guess it would let one know what kind of skills were needed to render one capable of being a competent worker at such a place.
The ebook I downloaded was for a chef. It was loaded with information. There was a questionnaire to start of asking about basic culinary skills. It went on to give information about different types of chefs and the average salaries for each. It noted what parts of the country were in demand for the various types of chefs. Along with each description of chef there was also something called "Insiders Advice" with tips on what to expect if one was going into that field. They also mentioned different culinary jobs that don't require cooking such as a writer or a nutritionist. The ebook also gave a course description of what one could expect when going to school. It also finished with a practice test and then how to market yourself when applying for a job. I could see this being extremely valuable to many people looking for jobs in a variety of areas. It would definitely be helpful to high school kids who are trying to figure out what they might want to do with themselves after high school.
Great report, Matt! As a former English teacher, I appreciate all the things you mentioned about the tests in your first paragraph. Very helpful to have that kind of guidance. And I agree--Learning Express has a lot of information to offer students about careers. Thanks for you comments!
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