I have been fortunate this year to get an upclose and personal view of standardized testing
TK-12.
Yes I said fortunate...
The experience has helped me to see so many levels of testing process that it boggles my mind. I used to think testing students was pretty basic.
School districts have to do it, and that was it.
Now I wish it was that simple.
It goes like this...
1. Set testing dates the spring of the year prior.
2. Order all testing materials.
4. Sign up for all test meeting updates.
5. Organize staff training and updates.
6. Familiarize yourself on test results from previous years.
7. Start testing the second week of school. (Yes and in a small school district this means you have to give many of the tests)
8. Continue testing through out the year. (This also involves working with technology to make sure the tests can be taken on the system your school has. Remember to visit classrooms for pre-testing lessons so students know what is expected.Oh I forgot you have to box everything up,inventory everything, sharpen no. 2 pencils, listen to staff complaints, hope for no snow dates, and find all the students who were sick during the testingdates or out of district.)
9. Gather test results and analyze.
10. Organize test results for the superintendent, school board, principals, staff, parents, students, community, and the most important... the state.
11. Enter all testing data into the state sites.
12. Try to rationalize what tests are valuable to students and staff instead of just required by the state.
Now all these testing activities have usually been completed by the school guidance counselor... but in the times of budget cuts and staff RIF's it falls on who ever might be around.
Now listen to this Youtube video on testing called 'The Bartelby Project" (located on my blog site)
So what do you think about standardized testing?
What do I think?
More to comments to come....
What do you think?
So what do you do with all of that extra time. Sounds like a pretty "cake" job to me...oh wait...that's one of those "other duties as assigned" for you isn't it? So really this is in ADDITION to your full time job. Yes, it's a lot, and most of the time it does frustrate me that we are REQUIRED to do it. Once in a while I get some data and use that benefits students, and I can make some connections for them. That is considered to be "bonus" material in my book. It's very difficult to think we can test one time a year as summative with any value in learning.
ReplyDeleteHave decided my goal this year is to compare standardized test results with the grades students are getting. Want to see how they correlate. Has anyone done that in the school they are teaching or administrating?
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