Summary: What do I want to remember from this chapter that may be helpful to my present or future teaching or to the TExES exam?
The author gives a top ten list for teaching excellence in an environment focused on testing, rather than learning.
� Be accountable. Students are held to the standards of doing their best work. Teachers should also keep their classroom available for observation. High stakes testing does not make teachers more accountable.
� Crawl before you walk. By this, the author is referring to keeping instruction and testing age and developmentally appropriate. It is important to teachers to keep that as a focus so that children will develop into lifelong learners.
� Know your test grammar. This was an interesting point. We have to teach children what they need to know for the test, but also that this is not always how real readers and writers operate. They will be graded by a specific audience looking for specific things and in order to be successful on the test, students need to be taught those skills. However, it is important to also teach authentic reading and writing.
� In education, nothing is as easy at it should be. So many people at so many different levels are involved that sometimes learning is lost in the process. As teachers, it is important to maintain a network of colleagues that refuse to let the testing dominate their teaching and professional judgment.
� Manage your classroom. Teachers have allowed outside influences make decisions about our own classrooms. It is important to remember that teachers are professionals, trained to know what is best in our classroom with our own students.
� Be politically active. Phone calls and e-mails from teachers to leaders influencing our children�s education do make a difference. An example was given how a bill was changed to reflect what research shows about how children learn to read.
� Know your pedagogy. To me this is one of the most important points. As teachers, research shows us what is crucial in developing life long learners. Also, as new evidence emerges, we must change our teaching patterns to reflect that current research. By understanding the science of teaching ensures that teaching excellence is maintained in our classrooms.
� Educate your community. The author surmises that one reason our elected officials hold tightly to high-stakes testing is that the public wants something that they can understand that shows we are doing a good job in educating our young people. However, what our children are learning is more than a test score. One way she suggests to educate the community is to publish a parent newsletter so that parents know what the teacher is doing and why.
� Best practices count. In planning her curriculum she bases her planning on the following: student centered, experiential, holistic, authentic, expressive, reflective, social, collaborative, democratic, cognitive, developmental, constructivist, and challenging. By constructing her curriculum to embrace these principles, she ensures that her students will learn.
� What is the goal? The author states that her goal is not to produce test takers, but rather lifelong learners.
One positive aspect of the focus on testing the author points out is that people are genuinely interested in our children�s education and their future. As teachers who have a �strong grasp on quality assessment need to stand strong in the face of this controversy.�
Connection: How do these readings connect to my prior experience in education?
As a teacher in a small school, I feel very fortunate not to have to deal with �high-stakes� testing. I also am able to stay away from grades because I teach Kindergarten. What I battle with though is parents who want to see what we have done in class � worksheets. We do use some worksheets, but I know for my little ones, there are so many more developmentally appropriate techniques to teaching. I also get the question � when is my child going to do real work? Like the author, I use a weekly newsletter to keep parents abreast of what is going on in our classroom. I don�t always list a Did you know?... section, but do on occasion with things such as � Did you know? It is developmentally appropriate for K to write their name backwards. (We always have those parents that think their child is dyslexic because they still reverse letters. Remember, they are only 5!)
The one area I struggle with personally is having the children do their best. Right now I have a student is physically challenged. I am torn on how far to push him in performing some of the activities we are currently working on, such as writing our name the �Kindergarten� way � that is, capital letter to start, then lowercase. His therapist has worked with him with all capital letters. I�m just not sure exactly how to handle this situation.
Discussion: What questions or comments can I bring forth to help my colleagues and I extend, expand, explain, question, or clarify issues surrounding this reading?
How do you deal with the omnipresence of testing in your classroom?
What do you think of the idea of teaching the test grammar versus real life grammar?
What bothers me the most is if we know that high-stakes testing is not really helping our children become lifelong learners, why it is only increasing?
Extension: How can I extend the virtual classroom conversation on this reading by responding to my colleagues� posts?
By talking to others about this very controversial issue, teachers can reassure themselves that teaching in an authentic manner, rather than to the test, is the right thing to do.
I found this website with more information that I found to be very interesting. http://www.nctm.org/about/position_statements/highstakes.htm