Do You Understand My Students?
In a recent post, I suggested that those who promulgate the use of state test results for teacher evaluation don’t really understand the job I’m supposed to do, and how little the tests relate to my teaching mandate as a California high school English teacher. Now let’s set aside that problem, and say, for the sake of argument, that the tests are still worthwhile – despite how little their content overlaps with the California Standards.
There are many more problems, beyond test quality. Do you, the test-loving policy pundits and accountability acolytes, understand my students? Do you have experience teaching high school English classes? Have you ever administered the tests, and watched the students taking the tests? Let me tell you a bit about some of these students (using some fictional names that might ring a bell for readers who recall advice about walking in someone else’s shoes).
Here’s Jean. Jean was reading before she started school, polished off the Harry Potter series by the end of first grade, and lives in a home that is the picture of stability and language enrichment. Now, there are some issues around the concept of “grade level” – but for the sake of argument, let’s assume it’s a valid notion. According to the tests, Jean was reading at a sixth-grade level in third grade, and beyond high school level by the end of eighth grade. Jean arrived in my class at the start of ninth grade. There is nothing I can teach Jean that will improve test scores, because Jean can already ace every state test coming in the next three years. Kids similar
