The longest week ever...
Apr. 29th, 2010 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
violetrose1922This week we have been taking standardized tests all week. That means stuck in a room all day with the same group of kids who have to be completely silent. It sucks for them and it sucks for teachers also. There is nothing more boring than watching kids take a test.
Why, a reasonable person might ask, would I be able to do nothing but watch kids take a test? Because the district and state I work for assume we all cheat. So they send out people who make a lot more money than I do to walk around the school and make sure we are doing nothing but monitoring kids. No sitting, no reading or writing anything, etc Because, you know we all have no personal integrity.
And the tests...are fine as part of accountability, but tomorrow my students (the ones I actually teach, not just watch) will take a 48 question test that will be used to determine how effective I am as a teacher. Now I have been working with those kids since early last August. Doing all sorts of fun learning activities, helping with high school magnet applications, having intense debates about current events and all sorts of other important things. Kids love my class, but really, how the kids answer those 48 multiple choice questions tomorrow is all that matters. Oh, and the test is not actually high stakes for the kids. If they fail it, nothing happens except it goes in their permanent record.
Now my kids will do great tomorrow-they always pass at an extremely high rate (every sub-group above 90% passing, if I may brag a little). But how can anyone think this insane focus on testing is good for teaching or learning. All kids end up being able to do is pass a test.
So end of rant...and muchas Margaritas tomorrow afternoon!!!! And Supernatural in half an hour!!!!!
Why, a reasonable person might ask, would I be able to do nothing but watch kids take a test? Because the district and state I work for assume we all cheat. So they send out people who make a lot more money than I do to walk around the school and make sure we are doing nothing but monitoring kids. No sitting, no reading or writing anything, etc Because, you know we all have no personal integrity.
And the tests...are fine as part of accountability, but tomorrow my students (the ones I actually teach, not just watch) will take a 48 question test that will be used to determine how effective I am as a teacher. Now I have been working with those kids since early last August. Doing all sorts of fun learning activities, helping with high school magnet applications, having intense debates about current events and all sorts of other important things. Kids love my class, but really, how the kids answer those 48 multiple choice questions tomorrow is all that matters. Oh, and the test is not actually high stakes for the kids. If they fail it, nothing happens except it goes in their permanent record.
Now my kids will do great tomorrow-they always pass at an extremely high rate (every sub-group above 90% passing, if I may brag a little). But how can anyone think this insane focus on testing is good for teaching or learning. All kids end up being able to do is pass a test.
So end of rant...and muchas Margaritas tomorrow afternoon!!!! And Supernatural in half an hour!!!!!
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Date: 4/30/10 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 4/30/10 02:55 am (UTC)