Mysterious State Testing...

This is the first year state testing for English has been moved to April. In previous years, once back from holiday break, I would skill, drill, threaten and encourage my kids to pass the state test with a score of a 3 or 4. However, as a teacher who is firmly against "teaching to the test," I have embedded skills the students will need to pass the state test in every single unit we complete in the 7th grade.

That said, this test should not be a mystery to kids. They should know what it looks like, how to do well and how it is graded. Yes, when we return from break I am sharing the grading rubrics with my students. I use the rubrics to grade their writing all year long, why should it be a mystery what the state is looking for? I want them to see the "Quality Assurance Sets" the state provides to train graders. They should know what kind of writing will receive the highest scores. I want them to develop their own strategies.

In all honesty, it is hard to convince the students of why they need to do well. They are not the ones "punished" for not performing. Their teachers and districts are... if they blow off the test, they're placed in Academic Intervention Services they may not actually need. It seems to contradict everything teachers are trained to do... evaluate the individual, implement supports and strategies for students on an individual basis. The challenge behind this state test isn't providing my students with the skills they need to perform and pass seventh grade. It's getting them to demonstrate their skills on that day, that one single day that is supposed to give the state a snap shot of 7 years worth of education.

I do my job, I love my job. The skills the state test evaluates are important. My kids, on average do very well. The scores in our small district have been on the rise the past 5 years due to incredible changes we have made to reading programs in the elementary and careful analysis we have performed in the middle school. This is what good teachers do. They realize one test does not tell the story of a child's education. How can it? So this year, my students will again be prepared for the test. They will show what they show on that day. I will deal with whatever consequences result and plan accordingly for the future. Meanwhile I will keep my fingers crossed for another type of test, maybe one without the high stakes for everyone... maybe one that actually measures what it is supposed to measure.