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One more thing...

Lets all strive to give the message this teacher from Texas gave to her students to our students. Each student who comes in our room is SPECIAL and UNIQUE.

The scores on a test do not define THEM or US.

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               HOW CAN WE HELP OUR STUDENTS?

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               HOW CAN WE HELP OUR STUDENTS?

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Article: Help Students Survive Standardized Tests

This article provides educators with ways to teach their students strategies to help them not stress or allow stress to affect them while doing the standardized tests. Many students feel anxiety, fear of failure, and other negative emotions surrounding these tests. The article explains that when the brain feels certain emotions it can only focus on that emotion, which can be problematic for a student who feels frustrated while taking the test. The brain may shut down and the student may not be able to perform at their best on the test due to this. Teachers are given strategies- such as teaching the students to take a break, shut their test booklet, close their eyes, and imagine they are somewhere that makes them happy. This can help the student to relax, which can help their brain to refocus. Click here to read more strategies in the article!

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                                                                                                 WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS TOPIC?

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                                                                                                 WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS TOPIC?

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I chose this topic for many reasons. I, like many others, have seen the effects of standardized testing in the classroom. During my time in practicum I saw students have emotional breakdowns more than once due to the work they were given. One teacher in the grade level I was working with explained that the students are being required to begin the year with tests that are at the same level they are to end the year with in order to show growth. The struggle? These precious second graders were all coming into the grade at different reading levels. Some students were at a kindergarden level while others were above their grade level. If the goal was to get every student to the level they are supposed to start third grade at- why was their tests requiring them to read at that level when they had just entered the second grade? I saw that the affect of this method was frustration, lack of motivation, and anxiety surrounding testing. One student that particularly made me question the purpose of these tests was "John". "John" broke down crying during a weekly unit test, spent most of the test in the safe space, and with no other choice he had to do his test during his recess time. "John" was a student who really tried to do well academically, but the pressure was just getting to him. There are so many more students like him. Students are spending the majority of their classroom time on English Language Arts and Mathematics, all with the purpose of preparing them for the standardized tests. The stakes are high for all involved- the students, educators, and schools. What other option is there to do but instill that "grit" that is being pushed in the current education system? As an educator, I understand the need for standards but also see the results of what standardized students are doing to our students and to our educators.  Upon researching this topic, I learned more in depth the results of standardized testing on our education system within our nation. These tests affect more than just the classroom. Students, teachers, and schools alike are all struggling to meet the expectations that these standardized tests place on them. For students, this may initially come in the form of feeling like a label is placed on them or that they let their teacher down. For teachers, this may come in the form of them needing coaching and potentially losing their position. For schools, this may come in the form of their funding being affected and/or being placed on the ‘bad’ list where they are closely monitored. This is often a negative cycle for individuals in all three of these categories, because the stress to meet a cookie-cutter expectation and being unable to is placing high stress on these groups in different ways. In order to combat this, schools and educators must come together to bring passion and interest into the classroom, and show the students that they are capable of succeeding on these tests- but that no matter what, these tests do not define them. I believe our students should be able to have an educational experience that is both of quality and meaningful- so lets make it our goal to do that even in the face of standardized tests!

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                                   THE EFFECT

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                                   THE EFFECT

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Article: Testimony on the Impact of Standardized Testing on Students

This article is a testimony given by Richard Mantell, the vice president for junior high and intermediate schools for the United Federation of Teachers. Within his testimony, Mantell gives many strong points as to the negative affects of standardized testing. He explains aspects such as the tests not being developmentally appropriate, the heavy emphasis on teaching to the test within the classroom, and the negative pressure it is placing on students and teachers. Mantell goes through why reform is needed through very real examples. Read his full testimony here!