Seniors To Take Critical Thinking Exam

As is our custom this time of year, we will be giving seniors a national assessment next week during the first day of the Senior Seminar blocks.  The test is called the College and Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA).  The entire assessment is done online and takes between 50-90 minutes (including registration). 

 

The purpose of the CWRA is to measure students’ abilities as problem solvers and persuasive writers. Developed by the Council for Aid to Education, the CWRA is designed to “help your school learn how well your students are learning how to think critically, reason analytically, solve problems, and write well. You will also be participating in an ongoing national project building a database of information about teaching higher order skills to prepare students for college, and for life.” Every student is given a complex scenario that needs to be solved creatively, accounting for a number of variables as they write their responses.

 

I will be visiting the senior class meeting on Friday to appeal to their sense of altruism and honor: the main message is we really need the seniors to try to perform their best on this test, as it is extremely helpful in keeping our school at the top of national rankings, supporting us as we seek non-profit grants for scholarships, and allowing us to avoid other state-mandated national testing. True, the CWRA doesn’t “count” the way an SAT or ACT does in terms of the college admission process; much like the ERBs, it is mainly used for our internal conversations and evaluations, although we can certainly send students their individual scores when they become available in the summer.  Because we have been emphasizing problem solving and critical thinking, we have used the CWRA as a measure of our effectiveness in these areas. 

 

Instead of going to their designated classrooms for the first meeting of Senior Seminar, seniors will report to Knowles Lecture Hall.  Whether their seminar’s first scheduled class day is on Monday or Tuesday, we will expect them to come to Knowles instead and check in with either Dr. Vogels, Mr. Hammer, Ms. Eckler or Mrs. Chennell. 

 

Students may use their own laptop computers, and should bring those to do the test online on their own device.  If not, we will have extra laptops available.  Students should not attempt to do the test on their iPads as there will be compatibility issues.

 

The CWRA has been recommended as an important 21^st century teaching tool by both Tony Wagner in his book The Global Achievement Gap and by the leadership of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).  Colorado Academy is one of only four high schools in the state to offer this assessment.

 

 

Below please find a sample question from a previous version of the test.