Two days ago, I was trying to get my Year 3s (8-9 year olds) ready for the massive standardised test they're expected to take next week. We were revising how to write an argument genre, since looking at their work informed me that even after at least a term's work on it, they still have no clue. I had just finished reminding students that in paragraphs 2 and 3 they expand on the reasons they previewed in the introduction when I caught A and N exchanging a note. The note said:
Is this boring?
Yes [ X ]
No [ ]
I should have been annoyed, since I was only trying to help them, and it was really quite disrespectful. But actually, not only did I think it was an excellent example of how intelligent and creative my kids are, I was over the moon that everything had been correctly spelt.
In other news, NAPLAN is a waste of time and money and should go die in a fire. The results come too late to inform my teaching. Those results wouldn't highlight or tell me anything I wouldn't know even if they came in time. The test puts young children under undue pressure. And it's a fucking disgrace that funding is tied up in it.
We had the WASL, which was taken away to be replaced by the MSP. School funding is based on the percentage of students who hit the passing mark. They're highly stressful, completely behaviorally inappropriate (here, write for three hours without getting up or moving or saying anything); and the funding margins don't take into account a child's length of time in that particular school, their IEP/504 (special needs ranging from mild ADHD to has a dedicated paraprofessional with them all day) status, socioeconomic status, or linguistic background. I don't think you'll find many teachers anywhere who are in support of standardized testing.
I'm with you all the way on tests. Stressful for all concerned and basically counterproductive. And gives a very narrow view on life "My eleven year old daughter can't come to a Guide activity day on Saturday as she has a test on Monday" - my thoughts were 'don't you think fresh air and a positive distractions would be better?'.