I have a concern about low test scores. I teach in a school using the Reading First program and the site administrators have determined that the best teaching is going on in classrooms with the highest test scores. My class (about 75% ELL) had among the lowest scores in the first trimester assessments. This concerns me because I know that my students have learned alot about learning. I know that I am doing what I believe is the best approach for my ELLs----experiences, hands-on, observations, oral language development. I use lots of metacognition strategies yet when it comes to testing--we aren't cutting it. And I am not an excuses person but I really don't want to become a "practice for the test type teacher". So if anyone has any suggestions-please let me know. It's a dilemna because there's a belief that if we train low socioeconomic children to do worksheets and practice taking tests and improve scores it translates into becoming good learners. How do we honestly bring English Language Learners on par with English only speakers? Can I realistically expect my ELL first graders to perform as well as my only EO student??? Thanks to everyone for their input! olga
--- Renee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > www.nclbcommission.org > > Click on it. > They want everyone to give their opinions and > suggestions. This is > your chance now, if you really want to let the NCLB > commission know > what you think. > > Renee > This is what I submitted: > > > In the last several years, I have witnessed a > systematic dumbing down > of the classroom due to the over-attention given to > testing, test > scores, and the mistaken idea that students will > learn more if we test > them more. Classrooms that used to be places of > joyful learning, where > students were invited to be creative while learning > the basics, where > children loved to read and talk about books, where > students did science > investigations and serious mathematics, where > teachers were honored and > celebrated for their professional expertise, have > turned into places of > gloom and doom, where students are stressed and > teachers have been > devalued and distrusted, where once-thoughtful, > supportive > administrators have thrown away everything they know > about children's > learning in favor of easily-counted data that is > largely reflective of > simple, surface learning rather than the deeper > reflective learning of > real problem-solvers. > > I have watched how, in a short period of half a > decade, children who > once loved to read have turned into children who > view reading as a > chore, because reading has been reduced to decoding, > passing tests, > reaching fluency benchmarks, and the racking up of > points for taking > computer quizzes. > > The most insidious result of this law is that > schools all over the > country have been forced into a situation where test > scores dictate who > is considered a learner, who is considered > proficient, who is > considered below average, who gets to advance to the > next grade and > even graduate from high school, even though the > test-makers themselves > have said over and over that no one test should ever > be used for > high-stakes decisions. > > Shame on the writers of this pitiful excuse for > education reform. In > future years, when the children who are in school > right now are running > our country, we are going to see the damage that has > been done by this > law. > > It is time to do something serious to change the > details of this > legislation. It's time to take an extensive look at > what is being done > to children who have had recess taken away, who are > no longer allowed > time for art and music, who are forced to go to > summer school, Saturday > school, Intercession programs, and other "remedial" > programs if they do > not make the grade according to test scores, and who > will certainly > grow up to be non-thinkers and non-learners if > something is not > changed. > > Thank you for asking! I hope you are planning to > listen! > > > > > "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those > who, in times of > crisis, remain neutral." ~ Edmund Burke > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > 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. > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org 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.
