These readings and videos were powerful. The Common Core Standards and standardized testing both put an enormous amount of pressure on schools. The pressure trickles down from district level, to principal, to teacher, to student. That’s the reality right now. As I’m reading/watching today’s assignment what I don’t have in common with the teachers is I have been nothing but lucky with principals. This is especially true the past few years. I have had supportive principals that truly want what is best for children. My current principal is interested in testing results; he is competitive and wants to show our hard work and dedication. The point I’m trying to make is my principal is pretty good at shielding us from some of the pressures. He is good at putting things in perspective. He of course wants our students to do well on the testing, but he is in our rooms enough to know that we are doing what we needs to be done for children. We must find a way to keep the balance. The balance between what we are forced to do and what we know is right for kids. Before the Common Core Standards we used the Arizona State Standards. I look to the standards to see what is “expected” and then I think of creative ways to teach them. I think of creative ways for my students to discover learning. It’s challenging and enormously rewarding to plan lessons that are highly successful with all students. When I can sit back and listen to powerful conversations and hear students learning.
I completely agree that the standardized testing is out of control. Here is a list of the assessments that my third grade students take:
• AIMS (3 days about 4 hours a day)
• NWEA (3X a year)
The NWEA is actually two different tests; one that assesses reading and another one that measures math, each of the tests have approximately fifty questions.
• The EASY CBM (Math assessment 2X a year)
• DIBELS (Assesses reading fluency as well as comprehension
This assessment is given year round. It is extremely time consuming, especially a new strand of DIBELS called the DAZE.
• A District Writing Assessment (given 1X a year)
• Classroom assessments on topics of study
In the video Cynthia Copeland states that we spend 1/3 of the school year on testing and test prep. I agree it’s TOO much time! I’m all in favor of assessing learning but the standardized testing is out of control. I don’t think that we need that much data. However, I must say some of the testing does offer valid information. For example, the NWEA can tell me what skills each individual student needs to work on (according to that particular test). One big downside of the NWEA is the time that is takes. It is a long test, it takes students well over and hour to take the test and there are two of them. It’s just is too much! Testing overboard!!!! Not too mention these assessments hog up the computer lab. It drives me crazy!!!!
I have also had many parent complaints about standardized testing. Most parents don’t like seeing their children under the high level of stress. They don’t want to see or hear about teachers teaching to the test. I get questions from parents like, “how long is this thing? or “how often does my child have to go through this?”. Never do I get a parent who is overly excited about the AIMS or any of the other assessments. Parents want their children to have school experiences that open up their children’s eyes to a love of learning. They want their children in classrooms that allow exploration of their inner talents. It will be interesting to see what is going to come out of this high level of high-stakes testing.
