Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Chapter 14: What About These @!$#* Standardized Tests?
What things are we doing at our school that are not measured by standardized tests but still vitally important? Are there things that the standardized tests measure that we as a school are not doing? What behaviors must we agree on in order to ensure success on standardized tests?
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To ensure success on standardized tests, we must focus on the real issue of student learning and agree on behaviors that lead to success such as; the student's social skills, self worth, behavior, responsibility, and their involvement in school. Also, we must agree to have the behaviors ourselves that lead to student success such as; having high expectations of ourselves as well as our students, being the variable in our classroom, being positive and uplifting, and showing care and concern. In short, the 14 things that matter most (page 127).
ReplyDeleteI thought I’d try the poem here…
I saw several teachers, harried, stressed and running around.
Deadlines, benchmarks must be met before they all fall on the ground.
“We must build the best school in the community,
It will show how much we are teachers in unity.”
A student stopped one teacher before she walked away,
“I didn’t understand your lesson today,”
“Well, ask your parents,” the teacher nonchalantly replied,
“Why doesn’t that teacher care? Why isn’t she concerned?” I shook my head and sighed,
“That student will no longer trust,
Standardized tests, benchmarks; they have all gone to rust.”
And I thought to myself as I walked away,
Which of these roles am I going to play?
Great job Leigh! I love your poem.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot let testing completely guide our classroom teaching. Testing should not be our primary focus, but the end result that comes from doing all that we can and focusing on what is important and that is our children.
I think testing has it's place for accountability, but we have to remember Maslow's Hierachy of Needs as a major guideline to help students too.
ReplyDeletePhysiological needs must be met first.
These include water, sleep, food, clothing and shelter. I have worked in a school where some of these were not being met, so how can I expect a child to learn if they don't get fed?
Safety needs must be met. Safety from mean behaviors such as bullying. This can really determine if a child is focused on learning or not. This includes personal security and well-being. Social needs are next. This involves emotionally-based relationships such as friendships and a support system. Does the child really feel they he/she is part of the classroom community? If not, they can feel alone and depressed. We as teachers can help in this area. Esteem is next. It involves self-esteem and self-respect. Confidence that we can be the best and achieve our goals. We all want to contribute to society and be recongnized for a job well-done! We need to be able to accept ourselves (for the most part!) and not be so hard on ourselves. Aesthetic needs come next. This is about realizing and working to our potential each and everyday or "work ethic". Boy, I think this is really falling to the wayside lately with all the bailouts! The need for self-actualization is the final need. Being aware of yourself and dealing with life's highs and low in an appropriate way. Unfortunately, Maslow says that only 2% of us will every reach that top level. If I can help my students with a majority of those things, my career will have been successful.
I agree with all three comments. Children are our main focus and testing is only one aspect of teaching. If we teach our kids well and do the best we can, they will succeed in testing. It's so important to focus on the standards all year and help children with testing anxiety. Children's needs need to be met and they need to feel comfortable with the classroom teacher.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love your poem Leigh..You are so talented!
ReplyDeleteLeigh - I also love your poem! Rhyme on sister!! Laurie - I must say that I definitely agree with you! As a counselor working in an elementary school - Maslow's Hierarchy is never far from my mind! We definitely have children at our school whose basic needs are not being met so we can't expect that they will come to school, sit quietly, focus, complete all assignments and learn - much less perform well on standardized tests!! As far as test prep goes - I have to say that I get so excited when I go into classrooms at any given time of the year (not just the month of March!!) and the students are regularly answering questions in the testing format! When a teacher is focused on incorporating testing format and strategies into her regular daily or weekly routine, then our approach to "Test Day/Week" can be more of a "business as usual" approach and less of a "drop everything for the next 2 weeks and do testing drills" approach. I think that it makes life easier and less stressful for the teachers and the students! I liked how the author stated that "they (teachers and principals)understood the importance of test results to others and were fully aware that success on standardized tests brought them greater autonomy to do what they believed was best for students." Let's face it - testing is just one of those necessary evils!! We must do what the author says and "focus on the behaviors that lead to success, not the beliefs that stand in the way of it."
ReplyDeleteI love working with you brillant professionals!
ReplyDeleteLeigh, your poem rocks! Shannon, I agree with you that testing preparation should be an ongoing experience in the classrooms. Testing is a necessary evil! We must, 'focus on the behaviors that lead to success!'
Shannon, you are so right and you do an excellent job helping students and teachers prepare for testing!!
ReplyDeleteFVES does create a GREAT learning environment. Teachers are supportive of the student's needs and responsive to parents. All of these factors are not measured on a Standardized test, but without these factors students would not perform well.
ReplyDelete