We are moving to a standards-base report. There are about 20-30 standards (I haven't counted yet) to report on, and each standard relies on an assessment, hence I have about 10 assessments to review, synthesize, and evaluate prior to completing the reports.
I know the process will be fruitful and will make me think carefully about each and every child's program, but I must say the time this process will take is daunting. There's a lot to consider.
Some may argue that if I completed assessments as I went along, this wouldn't be such a lengthy process, but the truth is that I have kept up, but I will need to review in order to get the whole picture. Also we've had multiple new writing units and assessments in the past week, and all teachers know writing assessments take a lot longer to assess and review.
What will help teachers with this worthy, important process?
- As the new year is planned, make sure that assessments line up with the reports, so that the best data is ready a week or so prior to the assessment completion.
- Give teachers time for this lengthy process. We do have about two hours of professional time this week, but we all know this process will take many hours. For me, I estimate that the process will take about 20 hours or more during the long weekend once I factor in all the writing assessment review, and the synthesis of multiple assessments.
The current Massachusetts' new teacher evaluation elements call for educators to be designers of learning experiences--good design takes time, review and response. As we move forward in the profession and continue to break down the factory model of schools, I recommend that the teaching day is reviewed and redesigned so that teachers who teach large groups of children each day have time on task to design, review, and respond to learning experiences as that will significantly improve the work we'll able to do.
