Today's the last day before our last MCAS tests for the year--it's the last chance to review and prep for yearly assessments. Tests, at best, serve as formative assessments of the collective group's and individual student's general knowledge of multiple standards. I see the tests as one indicator of student learning, and years of giving these tests show me that the way students score generally line with with their ease at taking in, analyzing, and presenting information related to the standards.
I spend two weeks before the tests reviewing all that we learned throughout the year in multiple ways. We shore up areas that can be quickly strengthened. Then we'll end this final day with fun and play--a way to relax before students do their best work next week.
The debate continues to test or not to test. I continue to believe that streamlined tests provide a general indicator of student, school, and system success in discrete areas. The tests provide teachers at the elementary level with a common, essential skill and standard set to embed into worthy, engaging learning design. I believe the money and time spent on standardized tests like this should be streamlined, and the tests should be seen for what they are--one indicator to assess a school, system, or state. I am cautious about using test scores to rate a teacher since there are so many factors involved in a student's overall progress and growth, so many factors beyond one teacher's reach. Yet, like teachers everywhere, I do my best to give students a strong foundation for test success.
Thinking of tests as one indicator, and streamlining the time and dollars spent on tests, should open up resources for more engaging, multi-modal, student-centered teaching and learning including multiple tools and resources to empower students. This area of school life should send a direct message that teaching and learning is not equal to standardized tests, but instead teaching and learning is a life-long endeavor that brings life strength, promise, and potential.
It is the day before the tests. My colleagues and I have worked to give students every advantage to do their best. Now I'm ready to move onto our project/problem base learning chapter of the year with greater strength and enthusiasm. In many ways the year is a combination of a quilt and weave. There are many discrete units, teaching points and goals, and then there is the way these dimensions intersect to create a vibrant, student-centered learning environment. That's the teaching/learning puzzle--the one that teachers enjoy working on day in and day out to teach children well.
