I'm speaking generally here. I know there can be various issues in
classrooms and schools that make it much harder, but part of the problem
that schools are not succeeding is because of the methods and programs
used to teach the skills are not adequate to meet the needs of the
students. Also, teacher training is inadequate in reading, writing,
math, and classroom managment to meet the needs of those students who do
not respond to the present method being utilized. This is not slamming
fellow teachers, but the system in which we are educated and work.

The bandaid - strategies to pass the test and retesting to see where a
student is - does not increase student skill and knowledge. Instructing
in a manner that will reach more students will. The intent of the law
was to get schools to change how they do business to increase knowledge
and learning, not to pass a test. The majority of students will be able
to pass the test if they have the skills and knoledge. There are a few
that are just poor test takers, but most states provide alternatives for
these students. If not, teachers, PTAs, and parents must push for those
alternatives. But that takes a huge step in training and change on the
part of all of us. We have to accept that fact that what we are doing
is not working.

Because our students are so behind in many cases, the instruction must
start from the beginning with them. It must be intense and some things
have to give. I'm not a proponent of giving up activity because the
kids need this activity to release the stress and rejuvinate the brain
for more learning. But there are topics covered in all subjects that
without, these students can still become successful adults. And for the
most parts, these topics will be covered again and again as they
increase in grades.

On 1/07/09, Tessa- FL wrote:
> On 1/04/09, Jo wrote:
>> I'm not sure that is teaching to the test, testing.
>>
>> Think about it. Apparently, the students reading strategies were
>> weak and their writing was weak. Learning new methods and
>> strategies can help them become better writers by using different
>> techniques or learning reading strategies to comprehend the text
>> better are all methods to help the students improve skills.
>>
>> Here is an example of teaching to the test. The MS writing test
>> expect so see specific types of writing used in the student's
>> writing to the prompt. So, the teacher works with each student to
>> find a word such as however, therefore, of course and teaches the
>> student how to use this word in almost any essay. The teacher
>> then finds a list of things the student can put in a series
>> separated by commas. The teacher then teaches the student how to
>> use a compound sentence that can appear in almost any writing or
>> how to join any two sentences with and. Knowing the state writing
>> assessors need to see these specific things, the teacher has the
>> student write multiple essays using these specific examples. The
>> rest of the essay is very simplistic, but the high-powered verb
>> that was learned is there, the list is there, the introductory
>> word followed by a comma is there. The three adjectives they know
>> are there and so is the one adverb. This is how a group of
>> students passed the state writing test (barely).
>>
>> Reading, teach process of elimination of answers and how to look
>> back to find information by matching common phrases. The majority
>> of the time using these strategies, a student can pass a reading
>> state test in my state.
>>
>> I would rather teach a student to read the text and understand it
>> rather than how to go back to find the right answer. Most of
>> life's reading does not come with a multiple choice test following
>> the text.
>>
>
> Amen. Jo is exactly right. We spend 2 days taking a benchmark test,
> then another 3 days reviewing it (what should you have done to get
> the right answer: eliminate responses, skim, look for key vocab).
> That's a whole week devoted to taking and reviewing a test, and we do
> that 6 times a year. That's six weeks blown for pure testing
> purposes. And we have more testing beyond that. And this is only
> first grade. Poor little 6 year old babes. But we have to because
> we're on our 4th or 5th year of not making AYP, and they're about to
> shut us down and make us a charter or do whatever it is they do even
> though we're an A (and before that a B) school for over 10 years. But
> AYP is all that matters to them.
>
> This is also why they cut recess to 1 day a week K-3 and none in 4-5.
> It's sick.

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