Testing is not Teaching
Monday
Morning…it is dreary, drizzling and I am trying to work up enthusiasm for the day. It doesn’t help that today the standardized testing
continues and my math lesson for 5th grade and 8th grade
is not going to happen, again. We had to test during math class last week and now
we are continuing again this week. That
means we will not have had math class for a week and a half. My students need math every day. Stopping math for a week and a half to take a
standardized ELA test and a standardized math test is not beneficial for my
special education students and the struggling learners in school. Actually, taking away major blocks of instruction time for testing doesn’t benefit any of our students . We lose the progress they have made and then
we have to reteach to get to the place we left off. I recognize the importance of assessment in
the teaching process however we will not receive these test results until the
end of the school year. How will this test data be relevant to impact how and what we teach?
This situation is best summed up by the
following quote: "Believing
we can improve schooling with more tests is like believing you can make
yourself grow taller by measuring your height." Robert
Schaeffer.
My routine drive through Starbucks did little to improve
my mood. However thanks to a colleague
my mood soon got a boost. I firmly
believe when all else fails try chocolate so imagine my delight when a student
carried in a foil covered paper plate from one of our 7th grade
teachers. I cautiously lifted the foil
to find a confectionary delight, chocolate cheesecake! I have no idea what the reason was for this amazing treat but I was not about to waste time questioning the gift. I quickly located a plastic fork in my desk
drawer and took 3 bites. That was all it
took... I was newly energized and ready to make the best of the day with what I
was given.
Thank goodness for chocolate!
No comments:
Post a Comment