I'm afraid of the end of the school year. I fear that without the ridiculous pressure and injustice of assessments and evaluation, I will somehow implode. Perhaps, I'll simply curl up fetal and cry my way toward the Fourth of July.
So, I've been thinking a lot about 50% of a teacher's evaluation coming from student test scores. Here's a few things...
When I took my driver's test for the first time they wouldn't even let me get behind the wheel. I failed the eye test because my contacts were a mess. Based upon my temporary blindness, my driving instructor would've been labelled a complete bum. No matter that I went on to pass the test and maintain a sound driving record (only one speeding ticket that my son won't let me forget).
A few of my son's fifth grade buddies said that they heard some kids say they were going to tank one of the state tests because they want to see if they can get a teacher fired.
I overheard a student say that in response to a PARCC essay he wrote, "F - U."
A teacher in my building said that a girl, angry at the volume of testing, filled in random answers on her Student Growth Measure while staring directly at the her.
One of my sophomores reported to his testing location today. Unable to log onto the system, he was told to leave. Later he was told not to bother with the End of Year test because he didn't take the Performance Based Assessment in February so he already failed the test.
Another student, hospitalized during the PBA, was made to take the EOY despite the fact that he too has already failed the assessment.
These are just a few examples from the last week or so.
Young people aren't stupid. They recognize an injustice when they see one. Three months of standardized testing with minimal instruction time and an utter lack of meaning and relevance is hard to miss.
So is the absurdity of 50% of an evaluation coming from a one off assessment.
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