An article in Newsday today explained Merryl Tisch's reasoning for moving standardized testing from the winter to May--TEACHER ACCOUNTABILITY--MORE TIME FOR TEST PREPARATION!
When the tests are given in the winter it is hard to know which teacher screwed up when the kid did not improve. This is important because everyone knows the teacher is the only factor in education.
What a crock of DOO DOO! This is just another way to play the blame game.
And more test prep time. What the school's really need is MORE LEARNING TIME!
6 comments:
Sorry PoD, but you are not an elementary school teacher, so you cannot imagine the pressure to have the ELA in January. Within the months of Sept-Jan there are holidays, field trips, special assemblies, and other factors that take away test-prep time. And the pressure is so enormous to get all the topics covered. As a math teacher, I don't have to tell you trying to cover 10 months of topics in 6 months is brutal.
This is a GREAT decision. This is the way is used to be, and it gives teachers the opportunity to teach rather than prep.
I applaud this decision and now hope the state takes a look at the curriculum and decides to not "overcrowd" the concepts. They should look to Asian countries that teach a mile deep instead of a mile wide--especially in Math and Science.
It's funny that "Jericho" is the community upset. Those kids tests so high on any given day because it is one of the affluent areas on the island. Boo-hoo.
As a former elementary school teacher who has been pushing for this change, I applaud it because our 8, 9, and 10 year olds shouldn't be put under such pressure and deserve to have the concepts taught the right way instead of it being crammed.
The change in dates puts every child and teacher in a predicament. As for Math and ELA, and hope for an increase in test scores, I understand the need for more time. It makes all the sense. On the other hand, it also disengages the student from concentration in test prep in NYS science and social studies test preps. Until the playing field is equalized, cracks will always remain for students to fall into. It is a sad situation that twenty-first century schooling remains an archaic endeavor.
Schoolgal, I have no problem with them moving the tests. The problem I have is the reason they moved them--teacher accountabilty and more test prep time.
Someone should realize that data is not always the answer.
When will people realize that one test is not an accurate assessment of what a kid can do? We need multiple ways to assess learning -- and not just with tests!
P.S. I just noticed you have my blog on your blog roll!! I changed the name from Calm, Cool, and Collected --- because after losing my job I don't feel that way... but thanks for the link anyways :-)
I don't believe in using these tests for teacher accountability, but they were going to do it anyway no matter what the test dates were. And, these tests should NOT be used as a sole assessment, but unfortunately they are. So kids who pass these tests, but really do not know the material are passed on. But pols don't give a sh#t about that either.
And I take exception to the "more test prep" time. It is really more education time because we can now actually teach than prep. We always prepped, but now it will be done in a more as a review.
As for the science and social studies tests, there is less time for the latter which is administered in November while the science was in May. Both of these subjects can be taught within the Literacy block, and the hands-on, at least in my school, during the science block by the science cluster. My principal made science coverage a double period.
Schoolgal
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