More State Assessments

If a child is absent, they have until the Friday of testing week to take the test.  We tested Tuesday and Wednesday, so we spent yesterday and today catching any of those 7th & 8th graders who were absent.  So . . . who tests these students?  Teachers have their own classes.  Well, SpEd folks not in a classroom and Instructional Specialists are the ones who put their jobs and responsibilities on hold in order to test these students.  I have spent 4 days testing, so my work keeps piling up, and I am not in classrooms or supporting teachers.  State testing involves so much more than legislators imagine.

State Assessments

Yesterday and today were filled with state testing.  Yesterday was horrible, but today was better.  My job was oral administration for 7th grade Math yesterday and 7th grade Reading today.  This testing season has been the most stressful.  I don't think I've been this stressed about testing since I was in the classroom full time.  What non-educators do not understand is that we have very strict rules to follow.  If we do not, we can be written up or lose our teaching certification.  As an educator and adult, I can control what I do and say, and I follow the rules very closely.  However, I cannot control what a child decides to do.  We can say (all we want and until we are blue in the face) that there is no talking, at all, period, but that doesn't mean the child will keep his/her mouth shut and not do everything possible to signal to or disturb others.  We can move them, remind them, cue them, whatever, but in the end, I cannot control what another human being actually does.  Because of this, testing is extremely stressful.

State Testing Part 2

Yesterday and today, I spent 4 hours with students retesting the state's mandated Math and/or Reading assessments.  These are the students who did not meeting the passing standards in April.  The students must pass these tests to move on to the next grade level. 

Those making the decisions surrounding state assessment should have to assess students--prepare the tests, arrange the schedule and rooms while everyone else in the building carries on with curriculum, find staff who can give up a day or two of their regular jobs to assess the students, and deal with the stress, frustration, and discipline of the re-testers.

We are always hearing things about prayer and God being removed from schools.  Well, during both days of testing, prayer was taking place.  The adults administering the tests for praying for the students.

State Testing

This week, across the state, students in grades 3-8 and possibly high school, are taking state assessments.  First, I want to wish all the students and teachers "good luck" as they tackle the tests. Good luck to my niece and nephew, and I pray for calm nerves as they do their best.

Second, I have a few thoughts on state assessments.
1.  I am all for accountability.  Teachers need to teach what is expected and be held accountable for it.  However, I am not sure the state tests that we administer are the way to go. I do not have the answer to consistent accountability, but . . .

2. It is possible for teachers to teach the content and students to have mastered it at the time and then have state assessment data that does not reflect that learning. When the tests are passed out, the work and scantron documents are in the hands of the students.  The students choose which bubbles to complete.  Do they mark the correct answers or the answers they think are correct, or do they mark the bubbles they want with no thought, i.e. making pictures of the bubbles?  Do they take their time or do they just rush through to get finish and take a nap or read their book?

3. There is so much stress for students and teachers on test days.  Why do we do this to them?

4. Do those creating the tests and laws forcing us to test really understand what all it involves? The number of certified teachers needed to cover classes of students or small groups?  What about the number it takes to cover all the restrooms so that only one student at a time enters and that no conversations take place? What about the number of educators it takes to cover the hallways to make sure no conversations take place?  Have they ever tried to keep a cafeteria of students silent or know how many people are needed to make sure no conversations take place during lunch? Lawmakers and test creators have no idea what it takes to schedule a testing day.

5. These assessments show the learning or understanding on one day of the year.  What if a student is sick but goes to school anyway? What if something terrible happened that morning? Do lawmakers understand what that does to a student and his/her test taking abilities? At-risk students need a morning/day to run smoothly, and if it doesn't, their scores will show it.

I don't know how to make things better, but I do know that the "powers that be" don't truly understand testing, the laws they are passing, and what they are expecting from teachers and students.