I believe that the testing of student's ACHIEVEMENTS in order to see if he meets some criterion held by the teacher, is directly contrary to the implications of therapy for significant learning. - Carl Rogers
I love the above quote except for one fatal error, the criterion is NOT held by the teacher. It is held by the state. We only facilitate what the state demands our students to learn. In fact, we almost done away with teacher created tests in some subject areas, because of all the standardized tests demanded by the county and the state. Speaking of those tests....
As I wrap up the first month of school, I can finally empathize the frustrations of my fellow teachers. Testing has definitely dominated this month.I have only had 1 full week where I have been able to teach anything, without any interruptions. All of these tests (SRI, PBPA, and FSQ) are all supposed to be diagnostic. The funny thing is the post test, the one that is supposed to assess the skills we should have learned is next week. Do me a favor and re-read the line in bold again please. Get the frustration?
Shorter class periods, more testing, and more skills to be taught in even shorter timelines have really got me pushing my creative limits. Today was our first half day, and it was the first day where I actually feel like I taught something, simply because I had the class time to do it. A half day, a day where in the past, you typically weren't able to get a lesson in due to the time constraints, is the day I had a period long enough to actually teach! How ironic!
As we move into week 5, I'll continue to do my best to deliver the instruction my students need to be successful. I want to give a special shout out to Mrs. Warner's 4th grade class, where ever you're located! Your blog, anchor charts, and resources have been very helpful to my lower level babies. Thank you!
As I wrap up the first month of school, I can finally empathize the frustrations of my fellow teachers. Testing has definitely dominated this month.I have only had 1 full week where I have been able to teach anything, without any interruptions. All of these tests (SRI, PBPA, and FSQ) are all supposed to be diagnostic. The funny thing is the post test, the one that is supposed to assess the skills we should have learned is next week. Do me a favor and re-read the line in bold again please. Get the frustration?
Shorter class periods, more testing, and more skills to be taught in even shorter timelines have really got me pushing my creative limits. Today was our first half day, and it was the first day where I actually feel like I taught something, simply because I had the class time to do it. A half day, a day where in the past, you typically weren't able to get a lesson in due to the time constraints, is the day I had a period long enough to actually teach! How ironic!
As we move into week 5, I'll continue to do my best to deliver the instruction my students need to be successful. I want to give a special shout out to Mrs. Warner's 4th grade class, where ever you're located! Your blog, anchor charts, and resources have been very helpful to my lower level babies. Thank you!