The Oregon Department of Education is going to allow test takers to use spell check on state exams. This is a dumb idea.1
I remember when I had to take a big exam after grad school – I handwrote the exam because I didn’t want to be one of those victims of a sudden power outage. There were times when I would have liked to have used a longer more high-falutin’ word, but I am a profoundly terrible speller. If you can’t spell a word, don’t use it. It’s a simple as that. Yes, I suppose your students won’t have to concentrate on spelling so they can theoretically focus on content.
Grr.
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