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January 17, 2006
ELA
Every middle school teacher knows what it stands for. English Language Arts. How can we call it arts? We test the hell out of it! Woo!
Today was the first of three days of high stakes testing at my school, and things don't bode well for the next two days. My school spends almost $3000 extra per student, but all of it is for test prep. State tests are now mandatory for 6,7, and 8th grade, and we tell the kids that what they score on the 7th grade test defines what high school they can attend, the 6th and 8th grade tests define advancement to the next grade.
Our school is a mess on days like this. So many of our kids look down at that piece of paper and realize that they are failures in the eyes of our society. They can't read, they can't write, and they definitely can't do arithmetic. Their lives are incrementally destroyed in 45 minute blocks, and we don't ever get to the roots of the problem.
This is what education is today, at least on a certain corner in Harlem.
Posted by G at January 17, 2006 08:54 PM
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Comments
Damn. I always envied kids in big cities that had school options. However, I don't know how I would have fared, under such high pressure make-it-or-blow-it testing conditions.
Posted by: MzOuiser at January 18, 2006 12:40 AM
Yet another example of the wonder of Bush's "No Child Left Standing" laws.
Posted by: Alan at January 18, 2006 08:40 AM
I always thought tests simply test how well you can take a test. Many who take tests well don't always do so good in real life.
Posted by: jimbo at January 18, 2006 03:05 PM
In Trinidad, we have an islandwide entrance exam to get into college (what Americans call high school) after primary school. All kids across the country sit in this exam (used to be called "Common Entrance" but I don't know what it's called now) and it's stressed how important it is to get into the best high schools, etc, etc. Loads of pressure for 10-year-olds, but it prepares them for the land of standardised testing, I guess.
Posted by: PatCH at January 18, 2006 04:35 PM
Hey, don't worry -- they can always come to the school where I teach!
And then worry about passing Regents exams, without which they won't get a diploma.
*sigh*
Posted by: Cohort 6 Fellow at January 18, 2006 10:31 PM