tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post1752895309221091516..comments2024-03-29T04:34:05.185-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: Is Your School Year Over Already?Peter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-10514272336087395312019-05-06T09:35:01.617-04:002019-05-06T09:35:01.617-04:00I absolutely would!I absolutely would!CrunchyMamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14434606158400653601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-3782454299873229692019-05-04T09:34:11.290-04:002019-05-04T09:34:11.290-04:00In NYS we lose 6 days of state testing in grade 8:...In NYS we lose 6 days of state testing in grade 8: ELA(2), Math(2), and Science(2). My district chooses to conduct benchmark testing in ELA(2) and Math(2) as well. So 8 days with a follow up compressed schedule with all classes shortened to 22 minute periods. Meh, it could be worse and we have now been doing this since 2001.<br /><br />In order to assuage parent outrage and curtail opt outs, NYSED now allows unlimited testing time in ELA and Math. We had some students testing in ELA for the entire six hour school day. This policy is beyond foolish.<br /><br />Testing pressures on teachers have been eliminated thanks to the NYSED moratorium on the use of CC scores in grades 3 to 8. Shared high school Regents scores are now used to evaluate all teachers.<br /><br />The biggest problem that I see regarding the ELA is that it no longer is a TEST! The CC skills tested are so narrow and so predictable that the so-called testing has become a rote, cookie cutter exercise for students. They a read a passage, they find supporting evidence for some self evident "claim". They try and guess the "author's tone or intent" in a few items. They read two articles and write down the supporting evidence for some "claims" and then they write a comparative essay using evidence in the text. When proctoring, I read some of the essays and its as if they came off a copy machine.<br /><br />Math testing (grade 8) is just about as narrow: functions, translations, functions, volume calcs, functions, FOIL, and a little scientific notation - oh and did I mention functions?<br /><br />The pass rate in ELA is very low, but fear not by grade 11, the CC ELA pass rate is sky high! <br /><br />The pass rate for grade 8 CC math is very low, but fear not, by grade 9 the pass rate for Regents CC algebra is sky high! And why not when a 33% is scaled to a 65%.<br /><br />Why we choose to torture our youngest and most vulnerable young learners with these bad standards and even worse tests is hard to comprehend. Yet by high school the so-called rigor goes away, the arbitrary cut scores are relaxed and voila! academic success! I wonder if it has anything to do with USDOE threats regarding high school graduation rates?<br /><br />Is the school year over? Not really because this is now a two decade exercise in foolishness that everyone has adjusted to. "Testing" is just the new, "Learning".NY Teacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08292448959963091160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-2531493039315313002019-05-02T15:32:40.509-04:002019-05-02T15:32:40.509-04:00I've thought of buying bumper stickers that sa...I've thought of buying bumper stickers that say: "Testing Time Cannot be Learning Time." Would you put one on your car? Randy Fritz randyfritz@mac.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-52359994232853557872019-05-02T15:23:09.938-04:002019-05-02T15:23:09.938-04:00Yep, it's over in child #1's public school...Yep, it's over in child #1's public school, but child #2 (private school) won't be done until final exam week (no standardized testing). And let's just add that the rule for the math portion of the stupid tests is that 2 answers can immediately be ruled out and of the remaining 2 answers, there is only a slight/simple difference (placement of decimal point, too many 0's, a simple multiplication error for the last number etc.) which means that not much math is involved at all. edblisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01792046029260177146noreply@blogger.com