For those of you without kids in Public school, I thought I would notify you that it is test time again. Our little ones are being crammed with last minute sample tests and questions. The class routines are being disrupted to allow for the test taking blocks of time. And some level of anxiety, anticipation, chaos and excitement abounds in all the schools.
Of course I am talking about the MCAs (MN Comprehensive Assessments)... These are the mandatory assessments that evaluate how well our children and their schools, Teachers and Administrators are doing... A key step in the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle.
So what do you think, is all this effort and anxiety a good thing or a waste?
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- I am married and we have 3 adult daughters and a dog. We live in Plymouth MN. My interests are learning, communicating, home improvement projects, motorcycling, boating, and other outside activities. Thank you for reading my blog and have a great day !!!
8 comments:
I think these tests are good in theory, but have major drawbacks in practice, in other words a mixed bag. There can be a perverse focus on test scores, right down to identifying who are the bubble kids that need extra attention to move from level 2 to level 3 (proficient) for the school to make AYP. Also, I'd like to see better tests that cover a wider range of skill level and do a better job of measuring growth. All the hours of test prep do little for kids well below grade level.
Then there are those unpredicatable factors that affect scores, such as what happened in the 3rd grade at my school. First the test was interrupted by a student vomiting in the room, which was later followed by all students rushing to finish so they could get to lunch (the cleanup put them behind schedule.)
In our little school the poor performance of this class on the reading test will have an impact on the overall scores of the school.
I can't help but wonder why we can't measure growth through regular testing on the subject matter being taught in the classroom. Testing like the MCAs takes children out of their normal learning environment and tests them according to standards different from normal classroom standards. The fact that teachers feel compelled to take special steps to prepare students to take these tests demonstrates how illogical the system is. The question is why it is deemed the best practice for measuring student learning.
First, is identifying the kid that needs extra help to move from 2 to 3 perverse or excellent? The struggling kid gets the necessary extra attention and hopefully learns faster to close the gap.
Second, I am pretty sure the kids are allowed as much time as they need/want to complete the test, though I could see vomiting being a bit distracting. However, the work place sometimes throws strange curves at us, kids probably should get used to it since life is not always fair.
Third, the biggest frustration for my girls is that it is now taken on a computer. They complain that it is harder because they don't have a hard copy to scribble and work on like they do for their typical homework, tests and quizzes.
Fourth, sadly the MCA's really aren't about measuring the kid's progress for the kid's sake. (RAS uses regular MAP tests for this) MCAs are about keeping the Public School Administrations and Teachers honest... Without something like this, AYP and NCLB, the challenging kids just get passed through without learning enough. (ie grade inflation)
Fifth, if the Schools were teaching the correct curriculums at the correct time. (ie those that align with the State's test content) There would really be no reason to cram before the test. Without something like these tests, there would be little or no standardization across MN's schools. I am always surprised that all ~360 districts feel the need to choose their own curriculums...
about helping struggling kids, not all of them have access to extra support. I know of schools that use their Title 1 teachers to work with the level 2 kids to the exclusion of some of the lowest skill kids, (those unlikely to reach proficiency and help the school make AYP.) This may be a short sighted strategy, while awaiting hoped for changes in the NCLB law. Something seems wrong to me with a system that uses the term "safe harbor" to describe avoiding sanctions for another year. Do the educational seas really need to be this rough?
I think schools with the most at risk students feel the most need to cram. I read a book last summer called Tested, One School's Struggle to Make the Grade that gives a clear picture of the downside to NCLB tests. When my kids took MCA's in their gifted program the tests were considered a few boring days and there was no anxiety or preparation, as the program always had 100% highest level of proficiency
I wouldn't get rid of testing and acountability, it just needs some major changes. I am still trying to figure out what I think those changes are. I agree with John's suggestion of common standards and curriculum that aligns well with them. Many states are on board with this, though I don't think MN is one of them
For the last month teachers have had to set aside normal learning to "teach for the MCA's!" It's not the teacher's fault, they're just doing what they are told by the district. The district is doing what they are told by the government. "No Child Left Behind" needs to go away! We need a new system for checks and balances at our schools.
On a side note: Kids are told to get a good sleep the night before. Great idea! But, PMS teachers maybe you should cut back on the amount of homework on those nights, so the kids can get to bed early.
Anon,
Any thoughts on how to improve the situation?
""No Child Left Behind" needs to go away! We need a new system for checks and balances at our schools."
The Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle requires a Plan and a Check... The NCLB/AYP criteria are part of the Plan and the MCA's are the Check.
Being a NCLB/AYP concept supporter, I think the Do's and Act's are what need some significant improvement. Then the tests wouldn't be a big thing, since the kids would know what was expected, when it was expected...
Though I do agree that some slight changes to NCLB make sense. Primarily, removing some kids from the data set. Many Special Ed and non-English learners should not be in the roll up. Or should they? See this link... WrightsLaw NCLB It is a thorny topic.
One more thought... The irony is that a method similar to NCLB/AYP is how schools have graded students forever... The Teacher/Administration sets an expectation (ie Plan) and then evaluates the student's proficiency via homework, tests, presentations, etc.(ie Check) And if the student does not succeed for whatever reason, they are given a low grade.
By the way, the irony is that those most against this Plan and Check methodology are using it daily. Of course to them, their personal use makes sense... I can hear them saying...
"I mean we have to evaluate the Student's performance somehow... But it sure is unfair that the Tax Payer's are choosing to evaluate our performance in a similar manner..."
I am all for rigorous testing. The complaint that teachers "teach to the test" tells me that at least they are teaching SOMETHING. And I would be all for NCLB if they would just enforce that provision that says failing schools must offer vouchers to every student. Since this year 82% of all schools will "fail," we could have universal vouchers in just 3 years! How great is that?!
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