At the high school at which I teach, state testing is upon us. While I am not grateful for having the sum total of everything that goes on during the academic year reduced to a three digit number that is the end-all, be-all measure of the school's worth as far as the state is concerned, I am grateful for a few days of proctoring, which is really about creating an environment in which the kids feel safe, and can do their best.
I have no problem with keeping educators accountable, or having the students demonstrate what they know, but, just as an example, a major trend in professional development for educators is differentiation, or the ability of teachers to adapt the educational experience to the different needs of each student. So, I need to personally adapt the educational experience for each student in a system that judges schools solely on an instrument that assumes students are all the same? My students that have only been in the country for a few years, and my special education students are expected to perform as well on the exam as say the future valedictorian, or the school will be put into program improvement? Something is wrong. I'm also grateful to be able to speak, or write about the absurdities in public education without getting upset, or feeling a spike in my blood pressure, like when I started teaching.
I'm also grateful work in a really nice school, and to really enjoy my interaction with students, regardless of test scores (even though our scores are through the roof).
