Wednesday, April 15, 2009
M.A.P. Testing
Oh the joys of being an educational interpreter! There are many little and great things that happen over the course of a year working within a school system. In missouri, the MAP test (Missouri Assesment Program) is not one of them. I am fortunate that the grade level I am assigned to only tests for three days. Imagine if you will. 'This is the test' 'These are the directions.' 'Go ahead and start.'. Do this 6 times in one day and then sit (or stand) and wait for someone to say something that needs interpreted. A normal wait is around thirty minutes between sentences. I am not saying that this is hard. But you may want to bring a good book to read on this assignment. They'll (the teachers) probably make up for it next week by all deciding to lecture on the same day. Then you won't be bored, just tired. I realize that this test has improved the schools here in this district. I don't know what the % is in the state, but at the district level, the level of proficient (A-B) students has gone from about 30% to around 50%. That's a big improvement. All of the teachers that I know are working hard and teaching the state mandated grade level expectations with an emphasis I only saw in the best teachers when I first started ten years ago. I don't agree with everything in the 'No Child Left Behind' bill, but this has made this district a better place to learn.
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It is hard to imagine that only 30% of a population is capable of being on the honor roll in any given marking period, however, I find it just as hard to imagine that 50% would be. Are they really smarter? Or is the grading being done in such a way as to artificially inflate all the grades up? My own experience in college was that while in a small private university, I struggled to maintain my 3.0(B) average. When I transferred to a state school for a semester, I didn't work any harder but had a 4.0(A) average. I, as a student hadn't changed in my ability or work ethic. What changed was the grading of the work.
ReplyDeleteThe results I am refering to are for one test. Not an overall grade based on the students work for the year. The test is a cumulative final of all of the work the students have been learning for their entire educational career. It's a bit mind boggling to think that the way the law is written the schools will loose funding if 100% of their students are not proficient in 5 more years. (no child left behind). There are provisions for the self contained classrooms, however any student in mainstreem classes, even those with learning disabilities in one or more areas are expected to be included. It will be intersting to see the changes implimented over the next few years.
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