Let me start by saying I not against testing, when I was in
school (across the pond) testing was and still is a normal part of the
education system. My objection is the state of madness school displayed during
testing time here in the united states, for example:
- Trying to get students pumped about a test to the point where you think it is a pep rally for a sports game
- Giving out gum, candy, and cupcakes to keep the kids energy up (let the parents decide this please!)
- Reminding parents about the obvious such as, kids getting a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast (that should be everyday right?)
- Giving out prizes for being at school during the whole testing time (and asking kids not to get sick during that time)
One the best ones I read about was this one: “Chicago School Rations Bathroom Visits to
Help Prepare for Common Core Tests”
“How
far will schools go to prepare for Common Core tests? From an elementary school
teacher in Chicago, I received the following memo, delivered to faculty this
week.”
“Dear
Faculty,”
“Welcome back and Happy New Year! In order to maximize student learning and reduce the loss of instructional time, we are implementing two new restroom policies.”
“1. Designated Restroom Times - Take your class to use the restroom only during your allotted time so that multiple groups of students are not competing to use the facilities. Also, the expectation is that the restroom break should last only five minutes. Before leaving for the restroom, clearly communicate the behavioral expectations and the time limit. Use your watch or stopwatch to time the students and praise them when they meet the behavior and time expectations.”
“Sign up for your restroom time slot in the main office by Tuesday, January 7. “
“2. Restroom Passes - In addition to scheduled restroom breaks, students will be given restroom passes to use if they need to use the restroom outside of the scheduled time. Students will be given two restroom passes to use between now and the end of the quarter. They can choose to hold on to them and trade them in for a reward at the end of the quarter. Following these guidelines:”
“Welcome back and Happy New Year! In order to maximize student learning and reduce the loss of instructional time, we are implementing two new restroom policies.”
“1. Designated Restroom Times - Take your class to use the restroom only during your allotted time so that multiple groups of students are not competing to use the facilities. Also, the expectation is that the restroom break should last only five minutes. Before leaving for the restroom, clearly communicate the behavioral expectations and the time limit. Use your watch or stopwatch to time the students and praise them when they meet the behavior and time expectations.”
“Sign up for your restroom time slot in the main office by Tuesday, January 7. “
“2. Restroom Passes - In addition to scheduled restroom breaks, students will be given restroom passes to use if they need to use the restroom outside of the scheduled time. Students will be given two restroom passes to use between now and the end of the quarter. They can choose to hold on to them and trade them in for a reward at the end of the quarter. Following these guidelines:”
“Have
students fill in their names as soon as they receive them. Passes are invalid
if names are crossed out for another name.”
“For
the upper grades, students can use one teacher's pass in another classroom, but
they still only get the same number of passes per quarter.
Read
the rest here: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/01/chicago_school_rations_bathroo.html?cmp=ENL-EU-MOSTPOP
Tests
are high stress enough as it is, do you realize that all this ‘stuff’ is
creating more stress? Stop the madness! Schools look at the way you are
behaving!
Remember,
the tests are supposed to be about the best interests of the students, not the school's
stats.
Dr
Flavius A B Akerele III
The
ETeam
Thanks for the post. It's great to know that having elementary ed tutoring is accepted. I really am a strong advocate on tutoring. It's a great kind of learning. Good thing that you d peer tutoring in your school.
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