----- Original Message ----- From: Aviva Shelter - avivashelter@xxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: more on practicing with CDs Hi, I have been reading all of this with great interest and on the one hand appreciate all the work you are doing to get things sorted and clarified. On the other hand, the suggestion that schools continue testing in any way they find comfortable does not sit right with me. First of all, we will from now on be getting discs from the Ministry, if we want to practice a bagrut for our pupils we will have to use the discs, therefore we have to have the equipment to reproduce discs if we don't have enough copies. Secondly, to make pupils buy a walkman which is hard to find for internal exams and a discman which is equally hard to find for the bagrut is a "rich man's solution". Not all of our pupils have the means to do so and even if they do I am sure that parents won't agree. Thirdly, we have to have the means to convert tapes with previous exams on them into discs which includes all the software, computer, double disc burner etc. This isn't just a one off, let's get the winter bagrut over with, it is what will be for the next couple of years, until the ministry realises that disc players, which are as delicate as they are hard to find, are not the solution. Sorry but I am being realistic here.. all the best Aviva Shelter. Sharon wrote: >I got two responses with people reiterating the importance of practicing with CDs and pointing out problems with navigating a CD. Whatever we think, I'm sure that there will be schools where teachers will NOT prepare CDs for school testing if only because they don't have the knowhow. In light of this fact, I've written Judy with the following suggestions: Some extra time be given to the students to compensate them for time needed to "navigate". That EACH paragraph be a separate track and EACH question be a separate track. Instructions should also be on separate tracks. This means that exams would range from 20-30 tracks. (CDs can theoretically hold 99 tracks). Of course, the tracks would be in the order of the exam (obviously) I also suggested that the ministry prepare a "table of contents" for each module listing the tracks and their contents. track 1 general instructions track 2 Reading Passage Paragraph 1 (lines 1-10)] etc. I suggested that the table of contents either be included in the envelopes with the disks - one per student - or be published in advance with all the other LD instructions so that the school can run them off for the students in advance. I think such a division of tracks and table of contents will greatly help the students navigate the CD. ----------------------------------------------- ** Etni homepage - http://www.etni.org or - http://www.etni.org.il ** ** for help - ask@xxxxxxxx ** ** to post to this list - etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** -----------------------------------------------