"How'd you get your kids to do that?"

That was the question asked of me yesterday at the end of the school day.  Another teacher and I were just chitchatting about our days.  The conversation began with her asking, "How was your day?" To which I replied, "It was awesome.  I'm done. I don't have to teach anymore." (We have two weeks left, approx half of a semester). I continued, "I have the students teaching now.  I told them they have taken all this before.  They already know it.  It was time to step up."  To which she asked our title question today.

I was surprised at her disbelief.  Her response was, "My kids are too retarded for that." With that she left the room.  So how did I get my kids to do this?  And for the record, they are doing an AWESOME job.  Their peers are being assessed just as if I had been doing the teaching and they are doing well.  It all began on day 1 when I told them that none of them were stupid.  Most of them were repeating the class in summer school because of poor work ethic, personality clashes with the teachers, and a bunch of other reasons that had nothing to do with their intellectual or academic abilities.  They have been required to synthesize and analyze their knowledge everyday and intelligently write about it.  They have taken part in two other inquiry based projects already this summer.  This was the logical next step.  Getting to do this was actually pretty easy.  They can probably do even more.

Curriculum - Part 2 of "Does it really matter?"

Please, please, please comment on this post if you disagree or agree in any way.  This post is a work in progress as I process my thoughts on important issues like curriculum.  As I mentioned in part of "Does it really matter?" I am teaching earth science this summer.  I hate to admit this, but I can't think of a single good reason for kids to take this class.  When I examine the standard course of study (SCOS), there is not a single item that will ever be used again in their lives unless they enter a very specific career.

So on the first day, I'm looking at the class of students who are repeating the course and I'm trying to find an answer to the unasked question, "When am I EVER going to use this?"  There is always the standard answer of you will develop thinking skills that will used in other areas of your but honestly, that's a load of manure.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm all about learning something for the sake of learning it.  I love talking rocks, minerals, soil, weather, plate tectonics, etc. and how all these things are intricately linked together in systemic ways.  I teach with enthusiasm and passion about how cool all the connections are.  I look for real world, current events to illustrate each concept.  And students enjoy my class. . . . because I'm entertaining.

I know it is a bit idealistic to ask repeaters, especially those with historic problems in school, to suddenly become passionate about all this.  I don't expect them too.  I see my four and half this summer as an attempt to plant a seed, light a spark, redirect the ship only a single degree in order to avoid disaster . . .

All of this leads me to some serious thoughts about the place of curriculum.  Why have we dictated the courses a student must pass in order to earn a high school diploma?  What is the process whereby we determined A, B, and C must be mastered in order to move from middle to high school?

Here in NC, our State Board of Education has adopted a new set of guidelines for freshmen who entered high school this past year.  It's called the "Future Ready Core".  Besides requiring earth/environmental science, students must pass algebra 1 and 2, geometry, and a fourth math that is tailored to their post high school paths.  Excuse me for a moment, but as a math teacher, why would I require a future plumber or diesel mechanic (who make very good money by the way and are still much in need) need algebra 2?  What math do they they take next in the sequence?

I realize that my post is losing its coherency to singular topic because I'm beginning to move into rant mode.  So I'll wrap it up with a few questions that will perhaps frame it all for me.
- What is the purpose of school?
- Which is more important, content or skills?
- Why are trying to force everyone onto a college track?
- If high school is supposed to preparation for real life, shouldn't there be a little more freedom in the requirements?

Again, I state my plea.  Please comment because I'm really wondering if it matters.

Does it really matter?

Teaching summer school this year has caused me to ask that question over and over again.  I have twelve 9th graders who need to pass my class, earth science, so they can be tenth graders next year.  They've all had it before.  A few I know because they went to my middle school.  One of these students is here because of chronic absenteeism - just like in middle school.  Another is here because she attended SIX different high schools in one year!  That student has even more problems going on in her personal life that make earth science the last thing on her list of important things.  More than a few are really here because they were discipline problems in the classroom.  They weren't paying attention.  They disrupted others.  They missed class time.  And when they semester ended and they were on the bubble - the bubble was popped from underneath them.  Perhaps what bothers me the most are the two or three who are behind at least three grade levels in their reading and writing skills.  Were they passed along?  Were they written off?  Why are they potential tenth graders and this hasn't been addressed?

So now, I have four and a half weeks to instill a love for something they probably hate.  Honestly, that doesn't matter.  My mission for the next four and half weeks is to help these kids be successful in life, whether they can repeat the theory of plate tectonics or not.  That's what matters.

Let's just do what we're already doing

This afternoon, Greg Couros asked this question on Twitter

If standardized tests are not the best for data for schools, what data can we use? I would love to hear your thoughts.                                                                                                                      

gcouros

I've wondered this same thing many times myself.  I can even think of a few (very few) good reasons for standardized tests, but that's a hill I'll die on later.  My response to Greg was simply to use standards based grading and evaluate student portfolios.  Let me give you a real life example from right here in good ol' North Carolina where portfolios are used as the "unofficial" trump of all of our end of grade, standardized testing.

Here in NC, we administer end of grade (EOG) tests for third through eight grades.  Many of the mainstream, college prep courses in high school have end of course (EOC) tests as well.  We also have what are called "gateway" grades - third, fifth, and eighth.  If you do not pass your EOG's for this grade, you are given five hours of remediation and a retake.  Incidentally, my district has determined to really make sure students are ready and have made EVERY year a gateway year.  If after the retake you still do not pass, then you have the option to go through the waiver process.  A waiver committee hears the case presented by the teacher and sometimes the parent on why the student should have the EOG standard waived so that he or she can advance to next grade.

I have prepared waiver portfolios for my own students.  I have served on waiver committees for other teachers and schools.  Every grade and course has a standard course of study (SCOS) divided up into goals. Among other things the portfolio contains, the most important are sufficient samples of the student's work that demonstrate proficiency for the individual goals within the SCOS.  I do not have good solid stats on this, but from what anecdotal evidence I've been able to gather from my colleagues and my own experience, less than five percent, perhaps lower, of the students taken to waiver are actually denied.  In every case that I have personally experienced on either side of the waiver table, the decision to waive was justified as "Student has made adequate progress".

Here's what gets me.  Every teacher, EVERY teacher, hates the EOG.  Every teacher and committee member look for proficiency in individual goals.  If this is how it's going to go down anyway, then why don't we start there and save literally billions of dollars each year on tests?  If teachers are going to use standards based grading to justify a student's progress, why aren't they already using it on a regular basis throughout the year?

It is true most of the samples submitted show that a student got 80% of the questions right,so some changing still needs to happen there.  But why, in the name of all that makes sense, why the heck aren't we doing what we are already doing anyhow?

The Sounds of the Season - Testivus Carols

It's Testivus time again.  Or for those of you who are more politically correct, Happy Show What You Know.  For me, I prefer to stay the time honored and more sacred name of Testivus.

As we regale in the splendor of this season, enjoy these meager attempts to touch on the true spirit of Testivus as  we share Testivus Carols together.


Deck the Halls


Deck the halls with lots of tests
Fa La La La La, La La La La
See the students and teachers stress
Fa La La La La, La La La La
Mul-ti-ple Cho-ice Que-stions
Fa La La, La La La, La La La
Cheat our students of educations
Fa La La La La, La La La La


When the scores come back we'll see
Fa La La La La, La La La La
That no one is better than me
Fa La La La La, La La La La
As we Race to the Top
Fa La La, La La La, La La La
When will the madness stop?
Fa La La La La, La La La La


Here Comes Testivus
(to the tune of Here Comes Santa Claus)


Here comes Testivus! Here comes Testivus!
Right down Testivus Lane
Score based reform and teacher blame
are pulling on the reins
Cash registers ringing, test companies singing
for them it's merry and bright
Why are we so happy to do this
'cause none of this just ain't right


Here comes Testivus! Here comes Testivus!
Right down Testivus Lane
It's got a bag that's filled with tests
for boys and girls again
Critical thinking, creativity
all of that has been nixed
So join your voices and say your prayers
'cause all of this must be fixed


O Wondrous Test
(to the tune of O Holy Night)


O Wondrous Test, whose questions are so probing
You are the one who will show how well I've taught
All of my students, will be marked for life
As either bright or the ones who'll hold us back
A feel of dread the weary teacher has
For yonder breaks the same old failed methods


Fall on your knees
Plead for reform to come
O test designed to show us nothing
O test, o test so badly designed


Long lay the school in test prep centered instruction
because no one wants to seem inadequate
Gone are the days of relevant curriculum
As we strive for the magic number of gold
Students will learn all the factoids that we choose
Instead of real concepts of what they should


Fall on your knees
Plead for reform to come
O test designed to show us nothing
O test, o test so badly designed


Truly we know that there's a better way
To assess what our children really know
We all hate you Test, yet we still bow down
Because we want the government's money
Are we really helping out our country
or are we merely holding ourselves back?


Fall on your knees
Plead for reform to come
O test designed to show us nothing
O test, o test so badly designed

The lingering effects of testing & grades

I'm giving an assessment today to my sixth grade science students.  It's a common assessment, developed by all the members of my PLC.  We planned the unit according to our state objectives and county pacing guide.  The assessment itself is open book and open notes.  It's our attempt at emphasizing skill development instead of fact regurgitation.  This is only a recently agreed upon approach in our PLC.  It's one I've been insisting on and we've all finally come to agree that it is the best approach.

I've been teaching my kids from this perspective the entire year.  I've told them from day 1 that I hate grades and would never give another if I didn't have to.  I've told them the most important thing for them to learn this year is how to learn, how to ask the right question, how to analyze a situation, how to recognize and evaluate various relationships among data, concepts, etc.  All of our class assignments and instructional strategies happen this way.

Yet, every time they take a common assessment, they form a line at my desk, asking "What does this question mean?" or "Is this the right answer?" or "I don't understand what this is asking?"  It's not like the assessment is so drastically different from what they've seen before.  It's nearly identical!  It becomes so frustrating because roughly 80% of their questions are unnecessary because they have not read the directions or they are too worried about a grade.

We have done such a disservice to our children.  In our attempts at proving we are doing our jobs we are force feeding tons of content knowledge, giving standardized tests with low level norms established as passing grades, and giving crash diet remediation to allow underachievers to retake our already low expectation tests again.  In the process, students have lost the ability to think for themselves.  They don't read directions because someone has always told EXACTLY what to do.  They are afraid to think because the right answer is too important.

But what about the growing number of classrooms like my own where there is pushback against such culture,  where on a daily basis the students thrive in an environment that provides the opportunity to explore and learn and they consistently demonstrate a mastery of not only the content but the development of those higher order thinking, creative, and collaborative skills?  We put a mandated common assessment in front of them and they suddenly become different children.  It's like Order 66 has been activated and completely new personalities take over, erasing any prior history, training, or allegiance.

It's frustrating because I begin to feel like a failure as a teacher.  It's frustrating because it feels like all that we have accomplished as a class has been for naught.  It's depressing because you begin to wonder if you will ever help these precious children you've been given to overcome this curse.  I don't have a solution.  I just need to rant.  Anybody else know what I'm talking about?