2020 has been ridiculous! I think we can all agree with how crazy this year has been. I feel bad for future students having to study this year in social studies. 

There has been an awful lot of negative. But there has also been some positives coming out of this year. 

Some of the biggest positives have been major conversations taking place on the world stage….including human impact on the environment, the importance of relationships and personal connection with others, medical care around the world has been a huge conversation, and now we are discussing racism in the United States and how it is impacting the lives of so many. These are all important conversations, years in the making, and will hopefully cause positive change world-wide.

One important conversation that I think is missing from this list is the conversation that we need to have about how the education system is failing our students. I don’t say that lightly, and the conversation will be a long one…once we start to have it. But, based on NAEP data from 2017, the education system in the United States is only helping a little more than 1/3 of our students meet proficiency in reading and math….in both 4th and 8th grade. The data for special education is way worse, and also needs to be addressed, but I believe that if we improve what we are doing for all of our students, the students with special needs will also benefit.

Tune in as I give my thoughts about how we came to this issue in education, and what can be done to correct it. 

Check out how I believe struggling learners can be supported using RTI in Tier 3 here. 

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The post The Failure of the Education System: A Conversation appeared first on Teaching Struggling Learners.

Today is April Fools day. What better way to celebrate than with the start of the testing season?

All my teacher-friends know what I mean when I say “testing season.”

For my non-teachers readers, this time of year makes teachers miss the week before Christmas break. Yes, I MISS the cookie and Santa-crazed week before Christmas break in kindergarten during testing season. It is the time of year during which as least 95% of our students will take a test which will determine their proficiency in that subject area, and our effectiveness as teachers. One test is used to determine if the previous 140 days of blood, sweat, and tears was effective. Standardized testing is a cruel joke we play every year on our students, and it needs to stop.

One. Test.

I, for one, am incredibly happy that I am not being tested today, because I am certain I would fail…not because I don’t know the material, but because I do not feel well. You see, last night, I caught a rough strain of food poisoning. I still feel terrible, but in to work I came….because…testing.

As I sit here, having horrible flashbacks to last night, and writing “clean the bathroom” on my to do list, though I doubt I will forget….I wonder….how many of my students were sick last night, or had to work late to help pay the bills, or didn’t eat over the weekend because there’s no food in the house and they only eat at school.

One. Test.

The scores from today will be used to judge my effectiveness, and that of my colleagues, as a teacher. The scores from today will determine whether these students graduate. These scores are the single worst measure of my students and their capabilities, yet their and my futures are determined by it.

The work my students put into their presentations last week, and how much progress they have made will not be reflected in this test. This test is a waste of their time, and taxpayer money…yet I walked around a room for 3 hours today administering the first part of a test which will determine their futures.

I’m not supposed to say that. I’m not supposed to come out publicly against this abusive system, but someone must speak up.

10 Days

In the next 2 months, of school, I will get to teach for 2 weeks…10 days….the rest is testing, or meetings about testing. If that is not a wholesale denial of FAPE, I do not know what is.

Schools across the country will be closing their libraries, media centers, and/or computer labs for testing as this testing season kicks into gear. Computers are confiscated for testing. Teachers will be denied access to technology, and students will be denied access to resources to help them complete projects and learning activities.

Is this fair?

Our testing focus is completely out of control. The ones who are suffering most are the students, especially those with special needs. Administering standardized tests to many students with special needs has been an absurd joke for several years….cruel and absurd.

We can do better for the students. We must do better.

What are our alternatives? How can we fix this system?

It is time to listen to teachers….You know, the ones going in to work despite some nasty food poisoning. Those are the ones who know, first-hand, the true cost of standardized tests. They can give all of us valuable insight into the problems and possible solutions.

Let’s stop this April Fools joke now. Standardized testing is a cruel joke. Listening to teachers about how to best teach and support the students, that is the answer.

Please comment and share your take on standardized testing below! Don’t forget to join us by submitting your email below to get all the latest on all things education delivered straight to your inbox!

The post Standardized Testing is a Joke appeared first on Teaching Struggling Learners.