*GROWLS*

[charisstoma]

Monday and Tuesday both schools I work for are doing STAAR testing. Not the 6th grade and maybe not all of the 9th grade though.
Both schools have 6th grade.
This time they are not using the Library for testing in. BUT they decided to pull both of us from the Library to monitor the hallways. In one hallway they are having 4 monitors. Most of the action would be at the one set of restrooms where as far as I know there will be one monitor. There will be one at the Library entrance which is so close it makes no difference except it would be at the backend of the line of restroom supplicants. There will be one at the junction of two hallways which is as close to the Library entrance as the Library entrance is to the restrooms and then way at the end where the students who are not supposed to test are to use the other set of restrooms is where I'll be. Not even at those restrooms but in front of the gym and cafeteria with the restrooms being around the corner a short walk from them.
There are students who would/need to read. They are doing a thing called Zap reports because students need to read 25 books a year. They have to document that they've read these books and the stress is that it be done by multiple choice tests done online using the Accelerated Reader program. They used to have to document the books through a short annotated bibliography but that means more work for the teachers and the students. Those behind students who are not testing could be in the Library READING.

So they've determined that by such and such a date the students should have read x number of their 25 books. Students are blowing it off ergo ZAP done on a weekly basis.

Students were and still are, with the powers that be's (administrators) approval, allowed to read under their grade level, way under. Think books as long as Dr. Suess long.
We have elementary level books for the international school's students who are learning English, Kindergarten (age 5) and up.
The native English speaker students who are on ZAP are being allowed to read as low and lower than 3rd grade (ages 8-9) books. *Indignation* What the hell are they doing in a Middle School (ages 11 - 14)?!

We caught one student doing the test as open book with one of these lower level books and complained to the administration. The answer back, they encourage this method of test taking because it teaches them to go back and find the information in the book just like is done in the STAAR Reading test. The lower level books... usually have 5 questions and at most 10. EVEN the international students aren't allowed to take the test with the book open to find the answer after the first week.
So Wrong.So So Wrong.

The quality of student that is going to be produced from this ... The applied learning school used to be a jewel in the crown for helping students to master skills and excel at them. That admin is crippling them.

Comments

[onecrazycanuck.livejournal.com]

All too often, the problems with those in 'administration' are: that they usually haven't ever worked the positions they are in charge of, and that they are too concerned with the 'bottom line' to take into consideration the long term impact of their decisions.

It baffles me how people in charge of education spend half their time whining about the 'stupidity' of today's youth while the other half of their time is spent cutting as many corners as they can in schools to make more money.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

This is the same administrator who told a teacher who took her students to state wide competitions for 'Future Cities', some winning awards, that the teacher didn't understand Hispanic students and to dumb her criteria for grading down. Teacher is married many years to a Hispanic.
Admin has been an Elementary Principal for several years. She starts the day with a 'good morning' chirpiness over the PA which is very reminiscent of "Hello Vietnam".
She is caught in the strive for the immediate results that is pushed by the district's administration. That administration expect students to show a certain percentage of improvement each year. Unfortunately if students are already in the top percentile that is next to impossible. So you're a genius. Be more genious than that.

She also sends out a weekly handout to teachers detailing upcoming events (which is nice) and humorous groan worthy jokes, witticisms. Recently she passed over the line with the jokes poking fun at the Amish. *sighs*

Yes, temporarily improve your student scores so you can move up the ladder into a higher bracket. Don't teach them how to solve things outside the box and understand better how to get to the answers, 'just pass the damn test so you make me look good'.

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

It's worrying if they're reading below they're level AND needing to refer back to the book, suggests they had trouble/didn't bother to read it though. If people struggling with a second language are managing it...

Frustrating to see something that was one well thought of being driven down.. Always seems to be people who have never done a job and don't understand the ramifications of things who end up in charge. (does not go into a work rant)

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

The reason they're needing to refer back to the book is because they haven't read the book before they take the online test. Most of them procrastinate and get caught at the last minute which is common with this age group unless they are very motavated. Too there's no benefit for the students to read the longer more difficult books because it 25 books damn it not even the number of points that the program assigns to each book depending on its length and difficulty where reading Dracula alone could garner a semester's worth of points. Dracula under this method is equal to one Dr. Suess book.
The international school does use the point system and it works. Normally we've had those students get up to 3rd grade (ages 8 - 9) before they leave us but now we've got more and more who are finding and reading on the levels of the native English speakers their age. (Of Course every year is different because the incoming students have various educational levels before they come to us. If you start with someone illiterate it's a harder slog than if the student is already academically advanced.)

One of the native English student school's teachers doesn't even allow the students credit if they do an annotated bibliography for their book. She wants them to only use the online multiple choice test. Now I ask you, which method teaches the student more, and better prepares them for High School and University?

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

That's what I suspected.
The point system makes sense. Aside from those who love books I'd guess a lot of kids would take the easy option and pick lots of simple ones to fill quota. And with the points it means if someone wants to try something more challenging they more time and actually get notice for it.

Never read Dracula. Hmmm.

HUH! how does that makes sense? It makes it easier for the teacher but doesn't teach.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Students are supposed to take a Star test (no relation to the state mandated yearly tests) to determine their reading level. To take a test on a book that is outside the parameters of that determined reading level requires an override password. Usually it's done for lower reading levels. The objective is to raise that reading level by the end of the year.

I have attempted reading Dracula 3 times. 2nd time I loved it. 1st and 3rd I didn't get very far before I was lured away by other fictions. The time I did read it all the way through I read a chapter a night before bed. It got to be something I looked forward to and boy howdy *snickers* (you did NOT hear me say that) was the part where 'he' gave blood to Mina, in the way he did, erotic. One of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels has an intense moment that creeps up on you like that and it's 'I'll be in my bed time. See ya. Later.' It's the contrast of stable la de dah de dah de dah prose and then WAM.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

You may rant. *GRINS* I am.

You should have seen the face of one of the people from the international school who helps with the reading students when I told her that the applied students were using open book for the level books that they are testing on. That and that the Library is closed even though they aren't testing inside the Library this time and there are 4 of us to guard this one hallway so that students don't talk about the STAAR test they are taking with each other. Students dribble to the restrooms pretty much one at a time. *sighs* My job today, to shoo away the testing students from the restrooms that the non-testing students are supposed to use.

*cringes* Had to report a teacher today. Testing materials, booklets and answer sheets, are suppose to be under lock and key (locked in a cabinet that only the teacher has the key for) if the teacher needs to leave them back in the room. Otherwise the teacher, and ONLY the teacher who the materials are checked out to, is supposed to be the one to carry the testing materials from place to place. This teacher brought her students down in an orderly quiet line but she had the first student in that line carrying the testing materials. An irregular incident like that must be reported by the testing coordinator so it can be noted down in the testing reports in case there were any impacts on the tests results. I had to sign an oath to abide by those standards and report anything that deviated from those standards. *sighs* The teacher is older and somewhat infirm, I can see why but still she shouldn't have.

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

My note from the higher-up last night - Do what you need to.
Seriously?!?!

It's a busy week but they don't know what needs doing or have any idea what I do. That's my temp-dept manager and our new line manager.

Both good and bad about being well thought of.
Good - I'm generally left alone to get on with it which I prefer, I know my job.
Bad - You feel what's the point when you're the only one doing certain things and until something goes wrong no one notices if you bother.


I bet! Basically you have foreign students making more effort to learn.

That's hard. Some policies seem so nitpicky but they're there for a reason and the teacher surely knows the rules too.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Don't suppose that you could write back on the bottom of that note, "I don't need to do anything but you want me to do this and this and this."

Yeah your job, you don't need it. *cringes*
Don't write my idea of a possible response.
*grins* You can think it though.

When you're not there to do your job, they'll be lost. They should know this already. If nothing else you should detail what it is you do so they'll know AND it'll look good on a possible future resume (think you call that a CV?).

Those tests@^&*^%$^&%&*
If there are too many erasures they look at them to determine if the teacher went in and corrected the answers. Teachers aren't supposed to even look inside the test booklets where the test is. Most they can do is look at the test answer sheet, which is 'bubbled in' (fill in the circle for the chosen answer), to tell the student that the student should check to see if they have completed all the answers.

Round 1 is done. Round 2 Math, Social Studies and Science tests are 3 days April 20th -22nd. Rumor has it that the international school is going to use the Library but per that school's secretary No one has reserved it yet. Grades 6 through 8 are testing but 9th grade isn't. This would be a great time for those students to be allowed to read and AR test on the Library's computer stations or even just have teachers bring their classes down to get books and read quietly through that class' class period. I could be in the Library cleaning up, reshelving and aiding students in finding a book. We could even sneak them back up the back stair case that they aren't supposed to know about.

*sighs* Not my decision. I have to wait and see.

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

I needed a quite night to finish my book so remained in the canteen sipping coffee all night - thank you. It was a good book.

LMAO - nope I just got on with it.
Sometimes they have a sense of humour and I could write that but other manager(disorganised) off sick (possibly genuine) and the temp(useless) doesn't know anything so...

My note the next night was:
-- 'Usual Bits' - aka minimum 1 hour clearing up after day shift
-- 'other' - which those who've done it knows takes about 8hrs and to others it's just a word you say with odd significance 'oh! oth-er' (just bleeding ask 'other what?' stop being clev-er grrrr)
-- 'wines' - section check = 3hrs work
My shift = 9hrs the maths is wrong!! even without time wasted fighting to get the printer to cooperate and printing things off for people..

--

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