1. ON A POSITIVE NOTE that we all need once in a while--- Isn't it nice that when something is going SUPER AWESOMELY you can stop and say to yourself, "Wow, I'm getting good at this!" :)
2. Back to the buzzkill of assessment: I finally got an answer from my principal about our assessment. We must prepare our own pre- post tests... and her recommendation was to use a "clicker" quiz in class. Not performance based. Just another test. Those kids aren't stupid... if I hand them a clicker in music, they KNOW it's a test!
Here's my dillemma... I could make it easy on myself by just preparing a clicker quiz, it is graded for me, it takes 10 minutes per class, BOOM I'm done. Pre-test, post-test
Then on the other hand... that is NOT how any of us teach... that is taking the human performance element out of my classroom. So I could do a performance assessment (has to be per student), but that's more time...
UGH this is not going to go away any time soon, is it? :(
One detail of all of this that I continue to find surprising is the degree to which this process differs from state to stage and district to district. As far as I can tell, Heidi and I are the only members of our group who have used the same assessments. These were chosen for us by our home districts, and they are conventional, paper and pencil exams.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I'd like to know more about a clicker quiz. I'm not familiar with that. Is it a test that you can give by handing the kids remote control type devices so they can respond electronically?
Lisa's plan is easily the one that I prefer from all of the options that have been mentioned in the last few weeks: Groups assessed by rubric in performance of developmentally appropriate material. Lisa, I hope that I have that right.
The leadership in my district would not okay a model like Lisa's. They want my data to be based on individuals, not groups. They want the data to be produced from objective sources. They don't want us to create our own assessments. We are not allowed to score our own assessments. They are concerned about test validity and want to use assessments that have been approved for use beyond our district.
Regardless of the process we are each using, my sense is that we all are struggling with the same conflict as Annie. "...that is NOT how any of us teach..." Not one of these plans is likely to grasp what or how we teach.
I strongly dislike the idea that the "data" that will represent the quality of my teaching is going to be based on multiple choice responses, yet I have pretty much given up being concerned about the tests.
I'm at the point where I'm just doing what I'm being told to do, as quickly as possible. Unlike Annie, that's actually easy for me, since every decision has been made for me. When this is over, I won't have to defend any part of the process, or the assessment that I use. In fact, I may be able to fault the assessments if they produce crappy data. I was annoyed about how I was being told to get this done, but after hearing what some of you are facing, I actually feel some relief.
At this point, I've decided to make a concerted effort to find avenues for documenting and sharing what is actually taking place in my classroom. I'm not sure if I'm being proactive or reactive, but my goal is to have plenty of other data available by the end of this school year. I don't want to have any conversations with anyone about my teaching that based solely on two observations and pre and post testing outcomes. I believe that the testing is inadequate, but also believe that if I'm going to make that case, I'll need a wealth of other materials to back up my claim.
Some of this can be tied into the conversation that's happening around Heidi's concert post. I'm interested in thinking about ways to intentionally create concert schedules and formats that reflect (and dare I say, "serve") the classroom program. I have never considered having parents invited to my classroom, but this may be the year to start that.
I'm also currently working on a website for my classroom. Glen's post about his classroom blog was inspiring to me. Even though this is creating a lot of work for me right now, I'm determined to create a site that represents two things. First, I want the site to explain the breadth of my program, and my plan is to create pages that can remain from year to year. I also want to be able to add ongoing information about what is happening at each grade level which includes visuals, lesson goals, and recordings of the students' work. Again, this is a lot to do right now, and may prove to be too much. We'll see. But I'm determined to control the conversation about my program and my teaching, rather than letting testing data speak for me.
I meant, "state to state" I apologize once and for all for the poor grammar, spelling, typos. It drives me crazy when I find these things after hitting send.
DeleteRob-
ReplyDeleteWe think along the same lines...my school is overhauling their Edline system so it will correlate with the new Schooltools program (insert eye roll here) So, the online resource that I used to have to share information is not available until some time in the future.
I have been playing with the idea of starting a webpage for my classes- but to be honest have not gone too far beyond the "that would be a great idea" stage. I would like to pick your brain about how you are getting yours up and running.
I have also gotten to the stage where I'm just jumping through whatever hoop is placed in front of me and hope that I'm still standing when it's all over!