Becoming An Educator For Over Eight Years

“If my future were determined by just my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn’t be her. I guarantee you that” - Michelle Obama. Once upon a time our education system was based on one 's knowledge of the simplicity of things; however, now a days a children 's knowledge isn’t based on whether he or she knows the different countries or how to answer 2+2 unless they can relate it to a real world situation. It is based on the pure skill of how to take a test. Standardized tests and Common Core (CC) have recently started denouncing our school system more and more. Children are starting to get lost and confused on topics, parents deem them excessive and unnecessary, and teachers feel inclined to teach to the test and emphasising relating everything back to a real life situation instead of teaching their students a broad spectrum of ideas.

Mrs. Alice McLoughlin-Doro is a Special Education teacher at Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, Illinois. The community is known for its excellent school districts. According to the 2010 census there were 47, 833 people living in Downers Grove with approximately 19,000 households and 13,000 families. The racial makeup of the school was reported to be 88% White, 3% African American, 5% Hispanic, 0.2% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 5% Asian, and 1.6% from two or more races. About 1.7% of families were below the poverty line. The school district report card reports the following racial/ethnic background for the school: 68.1% White, 10.3 African American, 11% Hispanic, 7.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, and 3.2% two or more races. The elementary schools, middle schools, and high school all perform very well academically receiving above state average scores on standardized tests. She has been working there for 10 years and is currently a Case Manager of 17 students, all with an IEP, all with different needs and goals in the LD department. She co-teaches two general education classes in English intervention, all freshman. Although she is a Special Education teacher, she works with all the students. She also teaches a READ 180, Tier 3 reading and english intervention. This is where we will be focusing on for this

For the purpose of this assignment, the leader I have chosen Ms. J, the principal of a charter school in New Orleans charter school named Harriet Tubman Charter School. Ms. J was also a founder of a school network that oversees 3 elementary to 8th grade schools. Founded in 2011 the schools now serve over 1700 students in the New Orleans area. Tubman Charter school has a staff of eighty. Ms. Lauses role is to oversee eight staff members that ensure that the school produces leading results for the state as well as promising scholars that will path their way to college. As the principal of this school specifically, Ms. J has large obstacles that go beyond the walls of the school. Harriet Tubman Charter school is within a neighborhood that struggles both economically and educationally. Almost 100% of the scholars qualify for a free lunch and are black or Latino and the kindergartens scholars that arrive on the first day know only one or two letters of the alphabet. Historically before Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on 38% of public school students graduated high school (quote). While most people see this as a place where most people see extreme challenges, Ms. J see’s it as an opportunity for change and promise.

Since childhood it has been taught that education is key to being a successful and productive person in today’s day and age, but exactly how children should be educated is being debated heavily throughout the United States. I have decided to do my senior project on standardized testing (common core testing) as a way to shed light on this broken system. Standardized testing has been created in order to compare test scores around the country and decide exactly what needs to be taught in schools.While this may seem like a good idea on paper, the animation of this in the real world has been a complete disaster. Lately, students have been bombarded with standardized tests and it has been negatively affecting their education. In a quote from one of the most influential females of our generation, “If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn't be here. I guarantee you that.” (Michelle Obama). Now in this quote the first lady is saying that people should not be judged based off of one test that is going to determine the way that they are being educated, which is exactly what is

Currently, I am student teaching at Alfred E. Zampella PS #27 School in the district of Jersey City. The school is located in a busy city, next to John F. Kennedy St. which is especially busy in the morning and during rush hour. This results in several late students on a day to day basis. On the other hand, this school is also highly accessible and as a little over a thousand students. The school has grade levels from kindergarten to 8th grade, and has a mix of general, special, and inclusion education classrooms. Typically, families that enroll their students into this school are of lower-middle socio-economic class, and tend to be majority Hispanic, Indian, and African American, with few Caucasians and Asians. This school provides a variety of special programs for their ESL students and special need students. Students may be offered speech language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, ESL programs, reading recovery, and counseling.

“With the implementation of the new STAAR testing system in Texas, there has been an outcry from some parents, educators, and commentators that the state places too much emphasis on standardized testing.” This statement from the Texas Business Leadership Council really stuck out to me in doing my research. In my opinion, this testing system puts too much stress on students. It seems to me that in some cases, students end up worrying more about the STAAR test, instead of what really matters in the meantime, like classwork, or actually learning the topic that is being taught at the time.

High stakes testing is a type of test that has significant consequences. For example, if a student passes this test, she/he will be able to practice a certain profession, go to college, or be qualified for a higher degree. However, if the student fails to pass this test, she/he will have to retake the course until they pass the test. Usually, it is used to take important decisions in one’s life. An example of a high stakes testing is the No Child Left Behind tests (Miller, Linn & Gronlund, 2013).

I was curious if she has heard about all the arguments opposing the implementation of high-stakes testing and what she thinks about it. Hence, I told her about all the negative arguments surrounding high-stakes testing that I have read or heard before. Mostly regarding its unfair nature to a particular group of people. Some of the arguments include how standardized tests are unfair because some students may experience test anxiety and how students attending poorly funded schools may not get the exact same materials for the standardized tests as the other students attending relatively better funded schools. Then, I asked Barbara for her opinions on these arguments. In my opinion, her response was really detailed and very convincing. She told me that this is the reason admissions offices apply an individual holistic review process. Standardized tests are important, but they are not everything. Her advice for students that experience test anxiety is, “don’t stress over it too much, you should just try your best”. Barbara also mentioned that college admissions offices still require standardized test scores for their application, because they believe that these tests are a very good indicator of if a student is academically prepared for a college’s curriculum. She also pointed out that standardized tests, such as SATs and ACTs, do a really good job of interweaving all the important

In today’s day and age, the key to success is achieving a higher education after high school. The steps in which we take to graduate high school and attend college, where we will be furthering our education, is all about jumping through hoops. We spend 12 years of our lives in school— five years of elementary school, three years of middle school, and four years of high school. During these 12 years of school, we are subjected to many standardized tests to see if we are up to standards and to measure our achievements. Standardized testing doesn’t showcase every student’s potential or intelligence. Not all students test in the same ways, therefore they should not be treated as if they do. To help cater to students variances, the government should administer a new type of testing that varies upon the students abilities.

Have you ever felt the pressure of high-stakes testing as a student, a teacher, an administrator or even as a parent? The goals of federal and state governments of high stakes testing are to improve schools. The government believes if there are negative consequences tied to standardized test performance then teachers and students will work harder which will increase test scores. The use of standardized testing dates back several decades but with the passing of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002, high stakes testing is mandated nationwide. The article, High Stakes Testing and Student Achievement: Updated Analyses with NAEP Data, is a follow-up study about the relationship of high-stakes testing accountability and student achievement.

One of the most substantial and consequential reforms in education has been the nationwide adoption of standards-based accountability policies that use high-stakes standardized tests to evaluate the progress of students, the ability of teachers, and the effectiveness of schools {Dee:2011cl, Jacob:2005bm, Cohen:2009wl}. Since their inception in the late 1990s, high-stakes tests have been subject to much controversy. Researchers have uncovered various efforts by schools and districts to “game the system,” including discouraging low-performing students from taking the test {Heilig:2008hb}, targeting resources and attention to students near proficiency cutoffs {BooherJennings:2005bz, Neal:2010ut}, narrowing curricula to tested subjects {Au:2007ja, Koretz:2009ta}, even increasing students’ caloric intake on test days {Figlio:2005bp} and out-and-out cheating {Jacob:2003cd}. Moreover, teachers and administrators have criticized the policy, echoing concerns over a lack of resources, narrowed

At my high school, all students from 9 through 12-grade levels were required to take the Regents exam authorized by the state of New York. If students did not pass the Regents exam in June, their first time, and were forced to go to summer school and take the Regents again, and if they did not pass the test again they were held back a grade or they did not graduate with their class. Thus, it is hard to test students in this way since no one was taught the same way all 12 years or learned the same exact things. That’s not all, before taking the Regent exam in June, we had 4 district assessments each quarter. Higher amounts of testing will end up frustrating the students and they will feel tired when taking state tests. Thus, high-stakes testing is profoundly a mistaken approach of evaluating student’s

Should our public schools continue to allow high stakes assessments, for example the FCAT, to play a large factor in determining if a student has met mastery of grade level standards? Numerous students do not test well due to nerves or other disabilities; some students even become ill which equates to inaccurate test results. Additionally, testing is such an enormous process that students are losing out on valuable classroom instruction. Finally, with students pending graduation or promotion to the next grade these high stakes tests are forcing teachers to teach to the test to ensure greater success.

Students are stressed. But, what is the goal of these tests? Are we trying to make students compete with one another to see who gets the higher score? Or are we preparing them for life outside of school? Maybe at one time these tests were used to measure how well the future leaders of our countries were learning, but now it is no longer like that. These tests seem to show no post-school value except to find the most successful kids and give them scholarships to college. Going along with this, everyone, depending on their grade, is required to take the same exact test. Despite their different ways of thinking, students are grouped together and the ones who are different are “wrong” simply because they were unable to learn it due to the way they were taught. Holding every single student to the same standards avoids the fact that everyone has a different mindset and each person may excel in different subjects. This poses a question: when will the system change? Students are held to such enormous pressure that when they meet the standards, they are convinced they’re stupid, and I struggle with this, too. However, it would be easier if all of the intimidation encountered when we are testing would just be withdrawn and students can be able to take a test, try their best, and if they don’t succeed, they can continue to work hard because, after all, a test shouldn’t determine how

What if the determining factor of whether or not you would be successful or a failure in life was solely based on the results of one test. Regardless of all the progress you have accomplished over your life, it all comes down to this big moment, the big test! That is the reality many students face annually due to high-stakes testing. High-stakes testing is the use of a summative test or an assessment to make decisions that are of prominent educational, financial, or social impact (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2013). Decisions such as graduation/grade promotion, school/state funding, or even job placement or termination.