Please share it widely.
Arne Duncan has some explaining to do.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Bart Simpson's I Will Not Chalkboard for Today's Students
A few years ago I was lucky enough to have come across a wonderful resource from Barry Lane. "51 Wacky We-Search Reports" is a book that is valuable guide for any literacy teacher (or any other subject area teacher for that matter) looking to add a little spice to the traditional "research report." It includes, you guessed it, 51 unique, interesting, and motivational approaches to research. You can find it here: http://tiny.cc/m01esw
One of the styles included in the book has become a staple in my classroom. The "I Will Not Chalkboard" was inspired by the ever changing introduction to the long running animated show, The Simpsons. You remember, the part where the camera pans into Bart's classroom to find him fulfilling a punishment by writing on the chalkboard over and over, "I will not..."
This activity has become an enriching and challenging part of the summarizing unit for my students. They have fallen in love with the idea of creating negative, "I will not" statements for facts or points they know to be true from an article or story.
Today, I use the activity in a slightly different form.
I have taken the liberty to create an "I will not" chalkboard for today's students IF we choose to not stand up to the high stakes testing movement.
"I Will Not..."
"I will not beg for one more chapter from our class read aloud, because who has time for read alouds?
I will not be able to show my creativity by choosing A, B, C, or D.
I will not develop true problem solving skills, because we have to rush to cover what's on the test.
I will not develop a love of literature, most of what we read is what you refer to as "passages."
I will not be able to explore and find what I am passionate about learning, you have told me what I "must" know.
I will not be able to use today's technology to connect with a knowledgeable world, there is no time.
I will not realize that mistakes are golden opportunities for growth, after all, it has to be "right" on the test."
***Teachers, parents, administrators, students! Do not let the high stakes testing movement become a punishment for our children.
Aye Caramba! They deserve better, don't they?
Come Along!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
"Everybody Wake Up, If You're Living With Your Eyes Closed"
As I sat in the faculty lounge last week, a conversation about the Opt Out Movement began between a few colleagues of mine. One of the women involved was stating how she had already sent the opt out letter to her daughter's principal. The shocking part, to me, was that the other woman, a teacher that I know is passionate, had no clue that opting out was an option. This scared me.
To my fellow educators and to anyone else who feels, strike that-KNOWS, that the high stakes testing/"accountability" movement is damaging our schools, I strongly urge you to spread the word. Get on social media sites, educate yourself about what is really going on, and ask yourself, "How much damage is really being done here?" I am sure if we all take a step back and look, with our eyes wide open, we will see that this is not a passing trend. If we do not join together and take a stand, public education will cease to exist, at least the public education we know and love.
We need all members of this PROFESSION to be aware, and then we need to spread the word - rapidly and vastly.
To my fellow educators and to anyone else who feels, strike that-KNOWS, that the high stakes testing/"accountability" movement is damaging our schools, I strongly urge you to spread the word. Get on social media sites, educate yourself about what is really going on, and ask yourself, "How much damage is really being done here?" I am sure if we all take a step back and look, with our eyes wide open, we will see that this is not a passing trend. If we do not join together and take a stand, public education will cease to exist, at least the public education we know and love.
We need all members of this PROFESSION to be aware, and then we need to spread the word - rapidly and vastly.
High Stakes Testing - A Whirlwind of Damage
As the movement to end high stakes testing continues to grow, I can't help but think about how far reaching the damage being done really goes and how difficult it will be to undo.
The testing/accountability movement that has now crashed down upon us certainly did arrive quickly, at least from my vantage point. And while it was approaching, I could sense myself and my colleagues bracing for its impact. The piece that has been truly shocking however, is how fast and how dramatically it is damaging our schools, classrooms, and students.
I have been witness to psychological and emotional damage to administrators, teachers, and of most concern, students.
(And "Testing Season" is not even upon us yet!)
Evidence of Damage
- During a recent administration of the MAP test, a 10 year old rubbed her arm raw due to testing anxiety. (She is very bright and it took her 3x as long as others to complete the test.)
- At the conclusion of the second marking period, a ninth grader had a total of 15 assessments in a 5 day period. This included finals, midterms, SLOs, LAMs, etc. Yes, you read it correctly FIFTEEN!
- A usually even keeled colleague of mine has had numerous tirades about unfair testing practices, unbalanced classrooms, inconsistent directives from administration, etc. all in front of students.
- A colleague of mine in a primary school building reports how a bright second grade girl has been sick almost every Friday from November on. It was discovered that Friday is the day her teacher gives the new CCLS aligned math tests.
- Administrators from the very top, all the way down have said in one form or another, "We don't have the answers. We are under attack too." (By the way, hearing this from your leadership does not help ease concerns)
These are just some of the stories I have collected over the past month after asking the question, "How are CCLS and APPR affecting the culture in your school building?"
I know there are many more (horror) stories out there. Feel free to share them here.
The point of all of this is - we are damaging people. Emotionally and psychologically we are damaging adults and children with a testing movement that has absolutely NO research to back up its validity.
We should ask the question, " Where is the study that shows the long term psychological effects on children who are exposed to high stakes testing?"
Let's stand together against this movement!
Let's demand change!
Let's foster real, research based, 21st century education reform!
Come Along!
The testing/accountability movement that has now crashed down upon us certainly did arrive quickly, at least from my vantage point. And while it was approaching, I could sense myself and my colleagues bracing for its impact. The piece that has been truly shocking however, is how fast and how dramatically it is damaging our schools, classrooms, and students.
I have been witness to psychological and emotional damage to administrators, teachers, and of most concern, students.
(And "Testing Season" is not even upon us yet!)
Evidence of Damage
- During a recent administration of the MAP test, a 10 year old rubbed her arm raw due to testing anxiety. (She is very bright and it took her 3x as long as others to complete the test.)
- At the conclusion of the second marking period, a ninth grader had a total of 15 assessments in a 5 day period. This included finals, midterms, SLOs, LAMs, etc. Yes, you read it correctly FIFTEEN!
- A usually even keeled colleague of mine has had numerous tirades about unfair testing practices, unbalanced classrooms, inconsistent directives from administration, etc. all in front of students.
- A colleague of mine in a primary school building reports how a bright second grade girl has been sick almost every Friday from November on. It was discovered that Friday is the day her teacher gives the new CCLS aligned math tests.
- Administrators from the very top, all the way down have said in one form or another, "We don't have the answers. We are under attack too." (By the way, hearing this from your leadership does not help ease concerns)
These are just some of the stories I have collected over the past month after asking the question, "How are CCLS and APPR affecting the culture in your school building?"
I know there are many more (horror) stories out there. Feel free to share them here.
The point of all of this is - we are damaging people. Emotionally and psychologically we are damaging adults and children with a testing movement that has absolutely NO research to back up its validity.
We should ask the question, " Where is the study that shows the long term psychological effects on children who are exposed to high stakes testing?"
Let's stand together against this movement!
Let's demand change!
Let's foster real, research based, 21st century education reform!
Come Along!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)