High Stakes Testing.....

It is spring.   The end of the school year is fast approaching. (My school has less than a month left). Besides the last few weeks of classwork, there are ballgames, trackmeets, concerts, programs, pre-enrollment, open-house, shows, events and TESTING! As in state assessments testing. 

Testing as in everything-is-on-the-line-testing.

The testing stakes in schools these days are stressful. The teachers feel it. The students feel it.

The Departments of Education (both federal and state) tell us NOT to teach to the test.  BUT in the next breath

we are given the consequences for what happens

if our students fail.

In Oklahoma they have made it mandatory for graduating seniors to pass four out of seven of their end-of-the-year-high-school-state-exams. 

Of those four, two of them HAVE to be

Albebra I

and

English II.

Lucky me.....I teach English II (which is Sophomores).  I also teach English III (which of course would be Juniors).

The Juniors also have to take the end-of-the-year-state-assessments.

So that means that ALL of my students take the

high stakes tests.

In Oklahoma the tests are called EOI's.

As in

End Of Instruction.

I tell my students it is the

End Of Ignorance.

The students tell me it is the

Education Of Idiots.

Regardless of the 'fun' we have with the acronym,

we have to take the tests seriously.

Too much depends on passing those tests.

The Sophomores do not get to graduate from

high school

until they pass  the

English II test.

Can you feel the stress

of the students?

Of this teacher?

This is the testing week for English.

When the test dates are being set

I make sure that my students

get to go first.

You see, the students have high-stake-testing

in

history, math, and science

in addition to

English.

That's why I want my English classes

to be the first tests they take.

I want their minds fresh....

And not burnt out by too much testing.

So far we have our Writing Tests

finished.

Tomorrow we begin the comprehensive

tests for all things

English.

There are over 120 definitions for various

elements of English

the students must know.

This time next week my testing will be over.

The students will have lots more tests before

the end of the year.

But my part in this giant

you-will-be-tested-over-everything-the-higher ups-in-government-think-you-must-know

will be done-----

for another year.

Oh the stress of this week.

My job--

my reputation--

my name--

my performance measurement--

rests on the

brains,

minds,

emotions,

hormones,

and

achievements

of 16 and 17 year olds.

We will be through with

English testing on

April 27.

Until then,

this is a very stressful week!