Ah, springtime. To some, the best time of year. The weather starts getting warmer. The grass starts turning green. Flowers begin to blossom. And of course, spring is the time of year for every educator’s favorite activity, state mandated testing. It seems hard to believe that in 13 school days we will begin MAP testing but alas, it is upon us. This can be a stressful time of year for teachers as they try to cover as much curriculum as possible while also allowing time to review for the upcoming assessment. This can also be a stressful time of year for students. Spring is a very active time for them inside and outside of school and as we know some teenagers do not handle stressful situations very well.
I remember this to be a nerve-wracking time for me when I was in the classroom. I wanted to make sure that my students were as prepared as possible for the MAP test. For a couple of years this was for selfish reasons. I knew that how the students scored would be a direct reflection of my teaching and I strived for the students to score well so that their scores would validate my efforts. After coming to my senses, I realized that even though I loathed the state assessment, this was an opportunity for students to show how much they had learned over the course of a year in my class. Of course I still raced to cover as much material as possible leading up to the test, but I also challenged them to do their best.
At the beginning of each school year, I would meet with each student individually to conference on how they scored the year before and what their goal would be for the school year. Throughout the remainder of the year, I would periodically meet with students again to go over their goal and progress monitor. For the most part, I would say that this was pretty successful. Not in the fact that test scores went through the roof, but that by testing time students had a vested interest in performing well on the test. As testing draws closer and closer, I would encourage you to have conversations with your students about performing their best and how this is their opportunity to show others how smart they are. Have a great weekend and encourage your students to DOMINATE THE M.A.P.!!!!!!!!!!!!
I remember this to be a nerve-wracking time for me when I was in the classroom. I wanted to make sure that my students were as prepared as possible for the MAP test. For a couple of years this was for selfish reasons. I knew that how the students scored would be a direct reflection of my teaching and I strived for the students to score well so that their scores would validate my efforts. After coming to my senses, I realized that even though I loathed the state assessment, this was an opportunity for students to show how much they had learned over the course of a year in my class. Of course I still raced to cover as much material as possible leading up to the test, but I also challenged them to do their best.
At the beginning of each school year, I would meet with each student individually to conference on how they scored the year before and what their goal would be for the school year. Throughout the remainder of the year, I would periodically meet with students again to go over their goal and progress monitor. For the most part, I would say that this was pretty successful. Not in the fact that test scores went through the roof, but that by testing time students had a vested interest in performing well on the test. As testing draws closer and closer, I would encourage you to have conversations with your students about performing their best and how this is their opportunity to show others how smart they are. Have a great weekend and encourage your students to DOMINATE THE M.A.P.!!!!!!!!!!!!