Data Analysis

It must be that my district is in trouble. We collect data on nearly everything. My only complaint is that it is so time-consuming that I contend it gets in the way of quality teaching. We do not just grade tests. We take the data and look at who passed, who failed, who needs intense remediation, etc. I am all for data; I am, however, not for looking for problems and poring over the same numbers every week.

At one point, it has been said our bi-monthly lesson plans will reach thirty pages. It will include lesson plans and data on testing, planning, remediation, reteaching, test preparation and similar ilk. I worked for a large district last year. We had none of the headache and hassle. This district, as small as it is, pours money into everything that is bright, shiny, and new, seemingly to no avail. I would prefer to just work with my students, gauge where they are personally, and not have administrators breathing down my neck. It does not take a genius to tell me my students struggle with reading. nor was it necessary to waste instructional time having every child in the school take reading tests. The teachers know where they are and are familiar with the population. The students openly confess: reading brings them no great pleasure. They dread it in class. The students are aware of the data. They notice the lesson plans are “big.” They are professionals at filling out bubble sheets.

Another note that bothers is the constant need to plan ahead. Now that we are in reteaching mode at the schoolhouse, I must submit data for what I will be teaching on remediation Wednesdays based on last nine weeks’ data. It is all so much to do. I hope to be future-focused on my job. But so much of the future involves looking to the past. Yes, the state test is well-nigh important. We stress about it so much at work, the kids notice and begin to stress about it also. Testing has its place. Data has its place. When it becomes cumbersome to the point the kids complain about it, I worry about it. There was a time when children simply learned. My kids now remind of what to bring to Instructional Strategies. Further, they let me that the faculty meeting starts at 2.55 pm. They keep track for me. Two of my students are office assistants and keep me updated on what new data analysis is needed for the upcoming week(s). In short, the data says it all: I am nearly drowning in data.

Chapter 4 Assessment

As Chapter 4 deals with student assessment in literacy, I found that much of the material was known, though it was good to have support. By now, those who rely only on standardized tests are living in the past. Current educational trends demand that students are only assessed with tools that encompass who the students truly are, inside and outside of the classroom.

One problem I have encountered in my district is the overwhelming reliance on teacher-created, state objective-following tests which do nothing to truly gauge student learning. The section makes vital the argument the most important goal of literacy and content assessment is to improve instruction and self-awareness. The standardized tests, so continuously de rigueur, do nothing to make or show real-world connections to the students’ lives. Thus is the problem. While data is important, the chapter reads. Also important are planning and interpreting. Content-area teachers must match goals and needs with data and other sources.

Kidwatching is time-tested and proven. So much so, I didn’t know it had a name. Even as a young teacher, I encounter it often, as students who are not readers slump in chairs or look around to avoid having to read aloud. I contend kidwatching may not be as potent in the secondary years as it hard to differentiate lack of reading foundation versus one being uninterested and the settling in of ennui.

The only suggestion I take issue with belongs the portfolio. I cannot see it working on the primary level. The output collected would not be sophisticated enough to measure against concrete goals. They would only with the upper grades, students who should know how to create and work with a quality product.

In sum, chapter 4 leaves alternatives for standardized tests. New policies and implementations involve the learner, instead of leaving him as a bystander. The learner is part of the product, occasionally making it. The teacher must give specific information to learners as to how and when their finished work will be graded. As the student plays a true role in his own assessment, the more he will take an active interest in it. Literacy assessment is ever expanding beyond the tests and quizzes and into the real world. Such is not possible without realizing that, while standardized tests have their place in academics, there are more tangible items which produce results that give students a hands-on view of their learning.