As part of our RTI (Response to Intervention) plan, we have a 30 minute college & career readiness class. However, it is really just a test prep class.
The freshmen work on improving their reading skills for the PLAN test that they will take in the fall of their sophomore year. The sophomores prepare for the PLAN until the actual test in September and then they shift over to ACT prep. The juniors prep for the ACT until the test date in March and they shift to EOC (End of Course) exam preparation because all juniors are required to take the U.S. History EOC.
The seniors...well, my poor seniors are a whole other thing. The seniors must be "college &/or career ready". Meaning they must have met arbitrary benchmarks on either the ACT, the COMPASS or Work Keys. (Incidentally, all of these tests are ACT products.) In recent weeks, even more testing acronyms have flooded my email inbox.
If the kiddos meet the ACT benchmark during their junior year, then they are placed in a study hall for their senior year. If they do not meet the state established benchmarks for ACT reading, English and math, then they are placed--by score--in groups to prepare them for the COMPASS or the Work Keys.
It's stressful and frustrating for students and teachers alike...but we're in a box. A not so lovely accountability and assessment box thrust upon us by so-called education reformers.
If only I could make these politicians and their ilk take all the tests that they thrust upon my students...
Showing posts with label accountability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accountability. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
New Term; Old Problems
Tomorrow is the first time of the new semester and per usual, I'm wide awake when I should be fast asleep.
It will be a short week and I know what my students will be doing but I'm still re-evaluating my teaching from last semester to tweak this term's instruction. However, I keep running into the same ol' problems.
I'm already plotting out lessons and finding not enough instructional hours for the material that I need to cover.
On the flip side, we've pared down the curriculum to the bare bones...and in my opinion, we've oversimplified everything.
We're told to have a more rigorous curriculum and then in the next breath, we have to defend ourselves if students fail--even if the student in question has not upheld his/her end of the academic bargain because it reflects poorly on the school in terms of accountability.
We're in this "accountability" box that has zero to do with student learning and preparing them for the world outside of high school.
No wonder I can't sleep.
It will be a short week and I know what my students will be doing but I'm still re-evaluating my teaching from last semester to tweak this term's instruction. However, I keep running into the same ol' problems.
I'm already plotting out lessons and finding not enough instructional hours for the material that I need to cover.
On the flip side, we've pared down the curriculum to the bare bones...and in my opinion, we've oversimplified everything.
We're told to have a more rigorous curriculum and then in the next breath, we have to defend ourselves if students fail--even if the student in question has not upheld his/her end of the academic bargain because it reflects poorly on the school in terms of accountability.
We're in this "accountability" box that has zero to do with student learning and preparing them for the world outside of high school.
No wonder I can't sleep.
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