> Sounds like you have a stronger class this year. > > Laura C Yeah, things are a lot different now, but even though the classes have changed, the number of problems have not.. I now have 6th, 7th, and 8th grade advanced readers. Last year, one of the areas where test scores dropped at our school was in the advanced classes, so my principal asked me to "challenge" them. I thought this was going to a "real" advanced class, but I've found otherwise.
After the first week or so, I noticed a few students were having some difficulties. When I checked their state test scores, they were passing grades, but BARELY passing, so I asked my administrators and they told me they took them out of regular classes hoping they will do better in a different environment away from the behavior problems. I've got mostly students who read on level, but I have 2 or 3 in every class who are below level. Also, I've discovered that most of them are NOT advanced. They mostly score well on state tests. They know how to read questions and find answers, but they DO NOT KNOW HOW TO READ WELL. I assigned one story to be read for fun, and asked them to give me an opinon on what they thought of the story. Most couldn't do it. Because they know the system, many regurgitated the strategies I had been using and saying things like "I couldn't make a connection to the character even though I tried to predict or infer a reference using my schema." because they knew that it would make them sound as if they knew what they were talking about! Others just closed the book when they were finished "reading" but they did not understand the story and were waiting for me to explain what happened....something they have learned from other teachers....if they don't understand the story, don't worry about it because the teacher will explain the meaning. Boy, were they surprised when I didn't explain the stories! A few even answered the questions that came with the story even though I expressly told them not to do it. Even though they are on grade level and scored well on state tests, most have never been taught to think about a story..only answer lower level questions. I picked a sad story for the 6th graders about a boy and his dog and many analyzed the parts, but wouldn't see the whole story for the sad ending. The 7th graders did the same thing and were able to tell me the story backwards and forwards, but they had few opinions about the story which was an O.Henry story about love and retribution. The 8th graders read "The Monkey's Paw" and because of the archaic language, didn't try to understand it and were waiting for me to explain. I did not give them any background information or help because I wanted to see how they would do on their own since they were supposedly "advanced" and I was shocked... ...Another example of how test scores have underminded kids' thinking processes.... Bill _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
