If you've read my blog for very long, hopefully you've been able to see how honest I try to be. I try to share my successes as well as my failures. I try to write to hopefully inspire but also show that everything isn't always perfect.
In the state of Texas our state exam is called the STAAR test. In 5th grade the students take the Math and Reading test up to 3 times to pass it so they can move onto 6th grade.
Like most schools in the state of Texas, it seems all we do is talk about this exam. It's drilled into the kids. We wear STAAR shirts, we offer STAAR incentives, we drill and drill and drill the "importance" of this exam. I have tried to be different. I hardly ever even mention the STAAR test. I refuse to teach test formatted questions. My students learn through hands-on, inquiry based, and project based learning.
Last year after the first administration of the Math STAAR my students scored 96% passing! I was thrilled!
This year I have worked equally as hard. All eyes have been on me. And despite me not mentioning the test, refusing to celebrate STAAR, and choosing not to focus on test formatted questions; I still get caught up in it all.
You see we just got our scores back from our exam two weeks ago. I had 91% passing! Which yes is great. But I'm not ready to celebrate. Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed. I focus so hard on showing you don't have to teach a test to see success on exams and instead I dropped 5% from the previous year's scores. I was also "beat" by other schools who do focus heavily on test prep.
I'm a perfectionist. And before I go any further I know that one test does not determine my teaching skills. It doesn't work for every kid. In my heart, I know that. But I guess it's one of those moments where everyone around you is defining your success based on a score. And I definitely could feel disappointment from some around me when I didn't match the previous year's scores. Or better yet, get better.
I know I worked hard. I know my students worked hard. And I am so proud of them for that.
I've spent almost a week even trying to put this blog post into words because I wasn't sure how I wanted to express myself.
In the end, I am so proud of the work my students put forth. I may have dropped a few percentage points, but I try to be an optimist. And I will choose to see this not as a judgement of my teaching skills, but as just another moment to learn from.
In the end I tell my students that only they can define failure. My students know that if you gave it your best and you did the best you could then you didn't fail. This test will not define them, and I have to take those same words to myself. But this is what our education system has created. A test that puts so much pressure and stress on not only our students but our teachers.
I can't wait until next year, when I'm the Principal of Navasota Intermediate. Where we will NOT celebrate an exam. We will not even mention STAAR. The day will come where they have to take the STAAR test, and it will be like just any other day they need to take an exam. My students will come to school to learn. Not to pass an exam.
Today celebrate hard work. Celebrate successes. There's always a silver lining and there's always room for growth.
Teaching to the test only teaches test taking. Teaching in spite of it, takes vision my friend. I applaud you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mark!
DeleteYou, my friend, are an artist. You make math. And, like me, you believe that students should pass standardized tests coincidentally, not because they have been brainwashed with basic concepts ad nauseum. Students pass tests because they have a reason to pass. You give them the math, but more importantly you give them reasons to learn and reasons to pass tests. The reasons come from the relationship you have with your students. They want to succeed for you.
DeleteWhat you consider failure others wish for because for them it would mean big success. Stay the course; you are a winner and your kids and parents (and I) know it.
Mike
Do your students love to learn? Have they grown as learners and individuals? Are they ready to take on tough challenges? Do they know mastery is a journey not a destination? If you know that a single measure tells you nothing about the true learning of your students then use all those other measures that tell you so much more. But you know all this already. We, as educators, can not rail against the limitations of standardized testing and at the same time measure ourselves by it. Take a long hard look at your students and your teaching and you will see what the rest of us already know. Greatest is not four points.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting Michelle! Keeping my focus on my kiddos :)
DeleteYou are bravely doing what is right! That is not always an easy path, but your focus is on the right thing, the students. Keep doing what is best for kids. The rest will fall into place. I wish you all the best as you embark on your new job.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteYou are a magnificent teacher, who does what is right for your students! The test does not define them or you. In the end, they will remember the life lessons they learned from you, not the bubbling skills they have learned from others.
ReplyDeleteThanks Terri :-)
DeleteWell said Terri! :) I should hope the jobs of the future do not involve being asked to fill in bubbles. Nicely done Todd. You have always put your students needs first.
DeleteCongratulations and THANK YOU for all you do to improve Texas education for our youth. You are an inspiration to many! Best wishes in your new position. Looking forward to reading more about the impact you will be making in Navasota. LOOK OUT Navasota Intermediate ~ Here comes Mr. Nesloney...........fun times ahead for all! :)
ReplyDeleteYou said that your students come to school to learn ... not to pass an exam. That says it all !!!
ReplyDeleteIt is so refreshing to read about a teacher that doesn't get sucked in by the test prep craze. What your have given your students is something no test prep can... A love of learning! Hopefully, this will stay with them through the inevitable test prep they will endure in the future. Good luck in your new position!
ReplyDeleteIt's like in that movie a while back: Money Ball. You choose a method you know is right and go with it. Variation in results is the way things work. Keep being inspiring. You're example has made a change in how I practice instructional design.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why we continue to compare year to year scores. They are a different group of kids with different readiness levels and a different chemistry. I know we always want to consider kids as individuals but each year's cohort has a personality and readiness level of it's own. I would be thrilled with your scores and don't really consider the drop statistically significant.
ReplyDeleteIn middle school this year, the top kids who take HS algebra in 8th grade were excluded from the 8th grade math test. Consequently, this moved the overall numbers down. As a result, the passing level on the math test was set at 19 questions correct out of around 60 to 64, I don't recall the exact number. Passing the test with 30% of the answers correct is nothing to celebrate, but we are!
Remember, these are norm referenced exams so there always has to be winners and losers no matter how poorly or well the students do.