Special Ed teacher's alarm at amount of testing. How Testing is Destroying My School

[madfloridian]

This is from Ms Katie's Ramblings by Katie Osgood. She writes of returning to public schools after six years teaching in a hospital setting.

Testing is Destroying My School

She also writes at Twitter

In just the first six weeks of school, I have administered more pointless, random, unnecessarily difficult tests to my students than I can count. We have barely had more than two consecutive days to simply teach where we were not interrupted by some ridiculous mandated assessment. There’s the REACH (for teacher evaluation purposes only), On-Demand Writing Tasks, tests that go to our network, tests for the district, tests because our school in on probation, and placement tests to use the TWO online test prep programs our school is forced to use weekly. These tests are not aligned to the curriculum, they don’t measure what we are actually learning in class, they are not tied to a broader unit of study. These are tests just to feed the data monsters.

..... And it’s not just the tests, it’s also the test prep. We have not one, but two online test prep programs our school is mandated to use weekly. 45 mins per week, per subject, plus an assessment in one program and completion of 2-3 “lessons” in another used directly for math. These expensive programs are basically test prep questions presented in a video game format. Get the “right” answer and earn coins to play games. In some classes, these programs take up as much as 40% of instructional time each week. Even our little kindergartners are forced to get on iPads and practice taking tests. Our Early Childhood teachers know this is wrong. In fact, all our teachers know this is wrong. But the answer to every question we ask is…”because this is what they need to know for PARCC (the Common Core aligned test.)”

.... And what’s worse, I am a special education teacher, so my students are the most fragile of all. And these tests are killing any possibility to motivate my kids. There are only so many times I can repeat the mantra that “These don’t matter, guys!” “Just do your best!” These tests are breaking the trust between me and my students. It feels so unethical to day after day administer tests that are so far beyond their current abilities. It’s like we’re giving these kids tests in Chinese, just to prove they don’t know any Chinese. And they leave feeling just…dumb…because they couldn’t answer any of the questions. I don’t even need the data these tests generate-they are so inappropriately hard, they tell me nothing of use. Besides, I have a whole Individual Education Plan that tells me exactly what my kids need to work on.

But still, every single week, here I am giving yet another absolutely disgusting test. My kids bang their heads on desks, they cry, they whine, they give up and say “I’m done” in front of a blank answer sheet. They fidget, they act out, they get in trouble just to get out of going to yet another class where they feel stupid.

I feel dirty when I come home. I wonder, “Should I start to boycott administering these tests?” But I don’t have tenure. Everyone tells me to lay low, to take the bold moves in three years when I've earned tenure.

I really had teachers on my mind today. I was thinking how thankful I am that I don't have to face what they are facing. Just imagine having to demand of students what they may be mentally incapable of doing, imagine breaking their spirits day in and day out.

Just imagine facing a school system being put in place by both parties which no longer recognizes students as individuals with varied abilities. The Secretary of Education of this United States feels that all students must be ready for college, all students will be able to pass all tests if teachers and parents are tough enough and demanding enough.

The powers that be are now applying the policies of "no excuses ever" and "zero tolerance" to academics.

[msongs]

1. corporations are strip mining $$ out of the schools, thanks to Dem/Rep prostitute politicians nt

[madfloridian]

2. Yes, they are.

[msongs]

3. to be more specific, a valid test can only be based on what was actually taught in class.

"state standards", etc., are irrelevant for tests if they were supposed to be taught but were not. that's the scam of all this testing. If you were not taught the item, you should not be tested on it.

[Half-Century Man]

4. It is the latest and most tragic example of cross breeding Business with Anything Else.

Capitalism is not the wrongfully corralled thoroughbred yearning to gallop majestically across the open prairie.

Capitalism is the zombie horde, relentlessly attacking everything not already converted. With an insatiable hunger, infectious at the first bite. Mindlessly consuming all resources, defiling the countryside. I say letting zombies run free is bad public policy. If we absolutely have to rely on zombies to produce things, they need heavy restraint.

[WinkyDink]

5. The very large end-game is to break the back of the teachers' unions (AFT and NEA), their vote, and

their pensions.

[liberal_at_heart]

6. The people responsible for coming up with these tests and the politicians both republican and

democrat who decide these tests are necessary for special education students don't give a damn about our kids. It's sickening.

[madfloridian]

7. They are demanding of students things they can not do.

Looks like special ed parents have a battle to fight all over again. And not just special education students...it is forcing all students into a system using untested methods, unproven to work.

[liberal_at_heart]

8. We have parent teacher meetings later this week. I am really nervous. I try so hard to

not let all of this get to me. The fact that he does not have any teacher assistants in his general education classes. The fact that he has to take these stupid standardized tests. The fact that he is expected to perform at the same level as his general education peers. I try so hard not to let it get to me. Most of the time I'm successful, but it's times like these when I must confront head on the horrible things they are making him do.

[madfloridian]

9. Thinking about you as the meetings take place.

I would imagine the teachers are frustrated as well, they just may not be able to say so in so many words.

[liberal_at_heart]

13. Thank you madfloridian. Actually things couldn't have gone better.

All the teachers had wonderful things to say about his attitude, humor, and work ethic. He thrives when he feels safe and encouraged and his teachers are pretty great at that. Most of the time when his grades slip it is because he has a lot of homework he hasn't turned in, but the teachers have been pretty good about letting him turn them in late. His English teacher even told me that she has convinced the school to let her test her students for Common Core, set a bar for where they currently are and then push the curriculum at that level. So if they test at an 8th grade level she can push to see if they can improve to a 9th grade level. They don't have to meet their grade level standard if that is not where they are.

[madfloridian]

14. Sounds like he has some teachers with common sense who care a lot.

They care enough to take a stand for their students. Good for them. Best to you.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Speaking As A "Data Monster". . .

. . .i wouldn't trust the data from these tests were i responsible for tracking school progress, achievement, and improvement.

I would hope some of the data monsters she's feeding feel and express this same disdain for the quality of the data.

[greatlaurel]

12. Kicked and Recommended

Great find.