Test Prep
No Quick Fixes
“Every spring, education-related newspaper and magazine stories raise the alarm that schools are teaching to the test. Scores of articles and editorials paint a disheartening picture of frustrated teachers forced to abandon good instructional practices for a relentless stream of worksheets based on boring, repetitive test-preparation materials.” Craig Jerald It’s hard for teachers to stay…
Read MoreKeep Teaching
To do test prep or not to do test prep…to keep with my literacy routine or not…those are the questions on most teachers’ minds. The good news is you don’t have to choose. You can keep with your regular routine and teach test prep. Just as you teach fiction, biography, and poetry as different genres,…
Read MoreJenny's Lesson
From the desk of Carol C. . . “Learning should be a joy and full of excitement. It is life’s greatest adventure.” –Caldwell When I first started teaching, kids didn’t take any End of Grade tests. Instead, they took the California Achievement Test (CAT). I don’t know what it was like at other schools, but…
Read MoreA Pain in the Assessment
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . For as long as I can remember I wanted to teach. As a little girl, I would strategically place my stuffed animals around the small chalk board in my room and deliver inspiring lessons that prepared them for life. Not once do I ever remember having…
Read MoreShare Your Thinking
From the desk of Carol C… Soon teachers will begin reviewing for the end of the year tests. Some of the review will include using multiple choice practice tests. Assigning the work and then checking the answers leaves many students still in the dark about how to find the correct answer. Here’s a way you…
Read More5 Reasons to Reduce Standardized Testing
From the desk of Hope… 5 Reasons to Reduce Standardized Testing 1. Learners need a substantial amount time to practice and apply the content in which they are learning. The young man learning to be a postal worker spends most of his time sorting mail and rehearsing his mail route to get ready for his…
Read MoreLose Weight Fast
From the desk of Alice… There is an advertisement in one of my favorite magazines that suggests you can lose weight fast “and safely” by replacing all your meals for an entire week with a liquid concoction. Hmmm- I don’t think replacing my meals for a week with just liquid sounds safe. It is not…
Read MoreThese Kids
From the desk of Alice… It’s the spring semester and even though the weather says it is still winter, many schools I work in have their eye on the end of the year. Specifically, the end of year assessments that are high stakes. This year, the assessments are a little fuzzy… we have the Common…
Read MoreRe-thinking Testing
From the desk of Hope… The EOG’s are over, well almost over. For the students who did not pass the test, they have to do a week of remediation and then they have to re-test. Test, Test, Test, Bubble, Bubble, Bubble. Ugh! The students who pass the test with the first administration have three weeks…
Read MoreYou Are More Than a Score To Me
From the desk of Hope… Dear Garrison, This week you are taking your EOG test and I can tell you are anxious. A little anxiety can be good. It can “help you get your A game on”. Fortunately, from your past experiences with these types of tests, you do fine on them and I feel…
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