2020 Teachers’ New Year’s Resolutions: 2. Teach your students, not “the test”
2020 Teachers’ New Year’s Resolutions
2. Teach your students, not “the test”
2. Teach your students, not “the test”
It’s a new year and as is our custom here in the USA, we make resolutions which, while often broken, can be redefined as goals toward which we should strive.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION #2
- Teach your students, not “The Test.”
NO, DON’T TEACH TO THE TEST
I taught third grade in the mid-1970s. At that time the State of Indiana didn’t require standardized testing for evaluation of teachers or promotion of third graders. Nevertheless, my school system used standardized tests in grades three, six, eight, and ten. The purpose of the test was to see how our students were progressing and to diagnose any specific problems. We were specifically told by the administration not to “teach to the test.” It wasn’t professional!
When the results came back (always within a couple of weeks) we were able to see how each of our students was doing in particular areas, and plan our instruction accordingly.
10 years later, Indiana started the ISTEP. We were still told to remain professional and not to “teach to the test.”
NCLB — YES, TEACH TO THE TEST
In 2001 everything changed. No Child Left Behind shifted the attention from students to test scores. No longer were we told not to teach to the tests. Teaching to the tests was now encouraged because, we were told, the test covered CONTINUE READING: 2020 Teachers’ New Year’s Resolutions: 2. Teach your students, not “the test” | Live Long and Prosper
2020 Teachers’ New Year’s Resolutions: 1. Read aloud | Live Long and Prosper - https://wp.me/pUgLi-1rM
