We have no requirements--thank goodness! Our students in grades 5 to 8 take the state assessments, and this year, they took a practice test that we created in part to see how we could effectively administer a school-wide test with a limited number of rooms for SPED accommodations, staff and even calculators! We are looking at purchasing the DRA2 and that has a September and June component, but that's all.
The structure you have for assessment now strikes me as excessive and unnecessarily regimented. As a teacher, it would also make me feel powerless. I wouldn't feel as if I was able to teach effectively if I also wasn't making the assessment decisions. Has the attitude been that teachers don't know how to assess--or can't be trusted to do it correctly? I have a suggestion: perhaps you could, as a committee, first determine what you believe the purpose of testing should be. Consider: What data do you need? Why do you need it, and when? I believe the answers to those questions will lead you to the answers that will be most beneficial to students. I commend you for being part of an initiative to study this, and propose changes, even if you were elected by default! I'm sure it will be a huge and largely thankless task, but I know if I was on the staff I'd be enormously grateful to see a change. Mary Dovey Literacy Instructional Coach Egg Harbor City, NJ On 3/11/07 11:36 AM, "TLP" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > How many times are your students required by your > district to be tested? I am on a committee to > investigate the amount and determine what is truly > necessary. We need to hear from others to help us > determine if we are assessing our students properly. > > In our middle school we have > For All Grades: > > Spring and Fall NWEAs > Yearly Maine Educational Assessments > > 2-4 Core tests in all grade levels for Math > 7th grade CogAts, 2 Math Assessments (determines > placement for 8th grade), > 2 Core Books to be read (but while these must be read > the assessment is left up to the individual teacher) > 2 Themes in Glencoe Lit ( with assessments) > > 8th grade CogAts > > Thanks for your help. > > > Tena > > > > ______________________________________________________________________________ > ______ > Bored stiff? Loosen up... > Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games. > http://games.yahoo.com/games/front > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
