Florida Standards Assessment Essay

As a result of testing accountability, teachers have changed the shift in their classrooms and focus on teaching to the test. Many criticize that the tests that are administered do not allow for thoughtful or deliberate thinking. Multiple choice questions, condensed reading passages, add to the inauthenticity of the test and can impede the ability of students. Studies have also show that test taking has a negative impact on student achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics. ELL students are still developing their English language skills while learning new content. It is unfair to have the expectations that these ELL students are being held accountable with the same standards as their native-English-speaking peers. ELL students need to have the necessary background knowledge, English language and academic language knowledge to successfully understand test

DuVall was interviewed she was questioned about achievement testing. ?Ms. DuVall indicated that she does assess achievement, but does include the scores in the reports. A special education teacher, named Mark Hayes does the standardized achievement testing. He uses the Woodcock Johnson IV Achievement Testing. The other methods of academic progress to assess student progress used by Ms. DuVall are teacher reports, grades, transcripts, and School Loop. She explained School Loop as a database used by parents and teachers to update student?s grades. Ms. DuVall explained that teacher reports are used to gain data on how well the student is doing in class and if there are any major issues. The grades, transcripts, and School Loop are used to know the areas of possible aid the student needs and additional resources to provide the student. Therefore, she is able to include student?s grades and reflect on the student's academic standing in her reports alongside the students standardized achievement scores. Furthermore, Ms. DuVall said, ?The achievement scores help at times clarify if a student is eligible under Specific Learning Disability (personal communication, September 8, 2017).? She further explained how achievement scores and discrepancy scores come into play later on in the

Louisiana Department of Education states, “The Common Core State Standards are fundamental descriptions of reading, writing, and math skills that focus on the ability to think independently.” (LDOE) Common Core State Standards hold students across the country to the same high bar and allow Louisiana students to see how they perform compared to students across America. “State school chiefs and governors recognized the value of consistent, real-world learning goals and launched this effort to ensure all students, regardless of where they live, are graduating high school prepared for college, career, and life.” (Corestandard.org) Prior to adopting these standards, Louisiana students were learning material that was sometimes even a full year behind several high-performing states. The Common Core State Standard asks students to engage in independent thinking skills such as comparing and contrasting and analyzing characters. Nearing the end of the school year, “Students are tested annually English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies in 3rd through 8th grades. The assessments measure whether each student has gained the knowledge and skills in the subject for their grade.” Students learning will be measured by the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers). Students in grades 3rd through 8th grades will be assessed on the full range of the Common Core State Standards to ensure they are “on track” or “ready” for college and

Purpose: To improve a testing experience for our students to increase the percentage of students meeting the standards of the standardized test.

Structuring on the best of existing state standards, the Common Core State Standards provide a clear and reliable learning goal to help prepare students for college, career, and life. The standards clearly demonstrate what students are expected to learn at each grade level, so that every parent and teacher can understand and support their learning. From Kindergarten through 8th grade, grade-by-grade standards exist in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. From 9th through 12th grade, the standards are grouped into grade sets of 9th through 10th grade standards and 11th through 12th grade standards. Moreover, the CCSS stress the importance of using primary texts in the classroom to build literacy, along with many other things. While the standards set grade-specific goals, they do not define how the standards should be taught or which materials should be used to support students. States and districts know that there will need to be a range of supports in place to guarantee that all students, including those with special needs and English language learners, can master the standards. It is up to the states to outline the full range of supports appropriate for these students.

These tests will provide teachers and administrators a diagnosis of how the school is performing and in which areas the school needs to improve on. This will also inform policymakers which schools are doing well and why. Then that technique can be applied to schools in which the scores were not meeting standards. President Bush and the U.S. Congress have challenged educators to set high standards and hold students, schools and districts accountable for results. (Dept. of Ed, 2004)

The new Common Core State Standards for Mathematics bring a new opportunity to the classrooms of the United States that many people view as a controversial. According to the NCTM (2013) “The Common Core State Standards offer a foundation for the development of more rigorous, focused, and coherent mathematics curricula, instruction, and assessments that promote conceptual understanding and reasoning as well as skill fluency” (par. 1). While some people believe that the Common Core State Standards may hinder progress in the classroom for many reasons including too much government control, teaching to the test, an excessive focus on language arts and math, and wasted resources, others agree with the NCTM statement about that claims the standards help increase conceptual understanding, reasoning, and skill fluency.

Not passing on one STAAR test can keep kids from graduating. Students must pass all EOC tests to graduate from high school, which can mean up to 15 standardized assessments each. English

“Common Core State Standards Initiative” is a result of the “Standards and Accountability Movement” which began in the 1990s in the United States. This particular branch of education reforms was geared towards expectations of learning at each grade level. The Standards and Accountability Movement not only brought attention on what students were expected to learn, but on teachers as well – focusing on how teachers were to implement lessons and able to teach for student achievement which would be measured in

An information letter was sent to families, making clear that the intervention would be delivered during regular class time at no cost to parents, and anonymity would be preserved. Informed consent was obtained. A week before the implementation of the program, the school’s Guidance Officer went to the each Year 6 and 7 class to administer the student’s pre-assessment package during school hours. Each question was read aloud to the group and their understanding of each item checked. Each child, then individually rated each question in their own assessment pack.

In the last six years a new standards system has been created for high school students in order to help them prepare for college classes; this system is the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The Common Core system, developed in 2009, addresses both mathematics and English language arts. It creates a system of standards that map out skills and abilities from grades K-12 that need to be focused upon in order for students to be successful in the future.

The Common Core State Standards is a United States Educational initiative which informs what level of achievement children from Kindergarten to Grade 12 should be at in English and Mathematics by the end of each school year.

The 1980s brought a new reform movement in education, accompanied by a new emphasis on testing. The effort to improve education at all levels included the use of standardized tests to provide accountability for what students are learning. Minimum competency tests, achievement tests, and screening instruments were used to ensure that students from preschool through college reached the desired educational goals and achieved the minimum standards of education that were established locally or by the state education agency. As we continue in a new century, these concerns have increased.

“Meaningful,” however, may have multiple meanings within context. Many people, parents, teachers, and students alike, disagree with the rules and regulations brought forward by the Arizona College and Career Ready State Standards. They believe that the new standards lack specificity and that the training necessary for teachers to understand how to teach the new standards may not be worth the time or money. Budgeting is a primary source of conflict and controversy. By funding the production of the new tests and teacher training, schools and districts are forced to be cut back in other important areas, such as learning and testing tools for special needs children (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). Another major argument is that the new standards focus more on obtaining better test scores and increased school rankings than actual knowledge. In complete contrast, many people strongly agree with the new standards brought forth by the Arizona College and Career Ready State Standards. It is believed by these people that the new approach will increase academic rigor and improve students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills. Consistency between different schools and even different states’ curriculum promotes easier transitions and both parents and students will always know what to expect. Those who support the standards

Since these standards range from Kindergarten through twelfth grade, it helps all teachers throughout the grades to know what is expected. For example, a kindergarten teacher looks at these standards for her kindergarten class. She then takes a look at the same standard for first grade; the teacher notices they are the same objective but with more detail and depth. This will help the teacher prepare his or her students for what they can expect in the next grade. These standards can also help align the teacher with other faculty members and they can then collaborate on different lessons and teachers can observe or exchange lesson ideas within the same standards. When thinking about these standards and assessment, I think of preparation. If the teacher used the standards appropriately with her lessons and taught the children, the assessment process will be a positive outcome. These standards really provide a guideline and a goal to reach when planning or