Well, it's that time of year again... for third grade, anyway. I've been out in schools this week where people are STRESSED about this test- teachers, principals, students, and parents. It never ceases to amaze me seeing how the CSAP turns schools upside down...
Schools rearrange their schedules, and rituals and routines are thrown out the window;
Students miss out on classes including arts, science, social studies etc. for the duration of the test;
Other teachers and students in non-CSAP grades lose their routines to help those that are in CSAP grades;
Teachers are rushing to collect test books from secure locations before testing and returning them after (signing them in and out... in blood! lol);
Teachers are scrambling to remember all of the ethics and test security guidelines;
Teachers are covering and/or taking down all charts in their rooms so that they they are in compliance;
Some students are done way too early (did they really finish already?)
Some students feel great after the test.
Others break down and cry.
Little red Stop signs are put up on doors so that testing isn't interrupted; and
Stock in #2 pencils skyrockets!
Another small fact: this lasts about 3 weeks every year--just for CSAP! (plus all of the other tests)
p.s. The kindergarten CELA test (CO English Language Acquisition) is forty two (42) pages long!
About Me
- Kim Ursetta, NBCT
- Denver, CO, United States
- Kim is a Kindergarten ELA-S (bilingual) Teacher at the teacher-led Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy in the Denver Public Schools. She recently served two terms as President of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. She has been teaching in Denver for 16 years, and is a National Board Certified Teacher. She earned a B.A. and B.S.Ed. from Shippensburg University of PA, and a M.A. from the University of CO, Boulder. Kim serves on the Professional Standards and Practice Committee for the National Education Association, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' Board of Directors.
Gy. Sgt. Manning~ USMC
My brother- home from Iraq!
2 comments:
Kim, I agree with you about the amount of time but I guess I'm not sure what you are suggesting. Do you want to get rid of CSAP? If so, what's the replacement assessment? or maybe you'd like to to not have any like some of your friends in LA. The evidence seems fairly clear that schools and districts that use a variety of assessments to guide instruction have more impact on student outcomes. I would suggest that we might have slightly fewer tests but more rigorous tests so that we have a better understanding of what kids know and can do. Some of it can be computer-based which would decrease the time while other parts will need to be more authentic like the writing portions. Van
I'm not suggesting getting rid of accountability. Yes my friends in LA are boycotting testing, and some are being written up for it. The point is that there is so much time spent on various testing, that there is little time to actually teach. We're "weighing the pig" too often, and don't have enough time to "feed it". Months are spent every year assessing our students, which leaves even less time to actually teach. The CSAP is not timely, and teachers can't use the information to inform their instruction with the same group of kids. We need more effective tests that will be useful for students, parents and teachers. Computer based would be great... if we had enough technology in our schools. But that's another conversation...
Post a Comment