This week my students enter the gauntlet of end of year testing. From the SBAC to our District Benchmarks, students will be testing 80% of the days between April 24th and June 2nd. As our morning announcements laid out the plan and potential incentives for outcomes and behavior, I watched the faces of so many students shift to fear, indifference, and outright hostility.
I took the time to use our Circle Time to address the culture of testing and compliance inherent in most schools whose data, taken on the numbers alone, don't tell the real story. In an effort to alleviate the pressure of the testing season, we talked about how to navigate this year's American Testing Warriors course. 1. Be honest with yourself. For many of my students, we needed to address the truth. SBAC and Benchmarks judge us against the 7th Grade Standards. Many of my students arrived without having met the 6th grade, or even the 5th grade standards. If we aren't honest that this a result of adult failures and student failures, we can't be our best. If students are blaming teachers, they will remain disconnected. If teachers are blaming students, they will fail to push through frustration. 2. Focus on Growth Yes, the outcomes are important. They allow us to better understand current student levels; we can then address potential solutions. It's that data cycle we all know so well. But if we only reward students who meet outcomes, we are implying that the hard work of students who make significant growth towards the standards is not important. The message that outcomes matter more than the effort serves to defeat our struggling students, actually hindering our overall progress. 3. Encourage #mindsetforlearning I remain energized by the work, A Mindset for Learning of Christine Hertz and Kristine Mraz. In the Circle, we were honest with our current levels, but we spoke Optimistically about their ability to perform at their best. Their teachers had provided the needed instruction; they have put in the effort. These two components will give them a great opportunity to be their best. We spoke about the flexibility of trying different methods when they get stuck, and how their resilience throughout the year had helped them handle the struggles of 7th grade. We examined the persistence they had shown in resubmitting work until they were happy with their scores. And, we shared our the empathy we show towards each other will allow us to support each other during the testing window. 4. This is about their opportunity, not ours Like many schools, the evaluation system attaches testing outcomes to our final evaluation. That personal level of anxiety can filter out to our students, who are more perceptive than we sometimes give them credit for. Yes, the final outcomes matter to me, but they cannot tell the truth of what is accomplished in my classroom. The students tell the story through achieving at their personal best. From the start of the year, my students have heard me repeat, perhaps annoyingly so, that they have excellence inside of them. They can show that through, among other things, being optimistic, resilient, persistent, flexible, and empathetic. If they live those values, I trust they will demonstrate amazing growth. In the end, some will reach the District and State standards. Some will not. Before my own children begin go off to school or athletic event, I remind them, "Work hard; do your best; take a risk; have fun." Let's encourage our students to do the same while competing on American Testing Warriors.
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July 2018
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