Testing Concluded- Almost

Today was the last day of our standardized testing. Well, today was the last day of general testing. We still have some make ups to do for kids who were absent on testing days or kids who have just registered with us. The teachers are happy but exhausted. The kids are happy but really exhausted. Our students take much, much more time than the “suggested” times given to us. The kids work really hard. They want to do well. They take their time and focus. I wonder how much the legislators really understand about the testing that they have invested so much into. My favorite quote was that they are using “irrefutable data” to determine how good schools are. This in light of two of the tests have incorrect directions. One of the tests has an answer sheet that doesn’t match the test.

But, really, the kids are wiped out. They tested, and tested. They worked really hard. It’s difficult for middle school kids to be quiet for 3 hours at a time. But they did it. They allowed the students who work more slowly the opportunity to finish the test.

Next up is for us to spend hours packing up the tests and getting them shipped back. We’ll spend lots of time in this endeavor. Much more than I’m hoping legislators understand. For if they understand how much time and energy are spent on this and choose to ignore it…well.

We’ll wait months for the results. So much for informing instruction. The results will be pretty predictable. That is, results are most predictable by the social economic status of the students.

Soon (within a couple of years) we’ll have a national test. It’ll be interesting to see what that one is like. Will it be timed like the ACT? Will it be middle school developmental appropriate? (Please don’t misunderstand that- I don’t mean lower expectations).

What does standardized testing look like for you?