It is Spring!

In New York, that means we are gearing up for state testing. Our third through eighth graders have tests in ELA and Math.  The ELA tests will take place April 1, 2, and 3. The math tests will take place on April 13, 14, and 15.

This year, we will have significant changes in the state tests. New York State has switched to a new test creation company.  These shifts include:

• No time limit. Students may work at their own pace as long as they are working “productively.”
• Fewer passages  to read
• Fewer multiple choice questions to answer
• Fewer short answer written responses
• A new company wrote the test with help from educators.

Our students should be well prepared.  Our curriculum is closely aligned to the Common Core State Standards that are the basis for the tests.  In the weeks, leading up to the tests, the teachers are also teaching units designed to help students build test taking savviness — how to respond to short and extended responses, how to navigate multiple choice questions, how to understand what the questions are actually asking.

These tests are most helpful to us as a tool to track student progress over time and as a general assessment of our curriculum.  Still, many students become very anxious about the results of these tests.  We want our students to be relaxed during the testing sessions so that they can do their best work. Please help us reinforce this message. Some points to reiterate to students include:

• Tests are not the sole determining factor in decisions about promoting children to the next grade. We look at student work, academic grades, and tests and have conversations with families about the benefits/disadvantages for children to have a second go at a particular grade.
• For many fourth graders, state test results can be gate keepers for middle school admission. Our fourth graders are guaranteed admission to our middle school regardless of test score.
• For seventh graders, tests carry a bit more weight. High schools also look closely at academic grades as admission criteria. So those should be a focus for our seventh graders.
• Tests give us a snapshot of how a student is doing in a short amount of time in an unnatural setting.  Yes, they tell us something about a student’s learning. But none of our students should ever be reduced to a number. Our students are vibrant, creative, passionate learners.  They are learning to collaborate, to problem solve, to communicate effectively. The true measure of a student’s learning is best done through looking at a variety of learning outcomes — math problems, stories  written, reading responses, art work, musical performances, and, yes, tests.  But they are only part of the portrait of who our students are.

For more information on the tests, you can visit the State Ed website. 

Edutopia, has several on line resources to help parents help their children with standardized testing.