After An Educator's Journey
Out of the classroom & into the universe
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Once upon a time, I taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Now I’m retired and working on new ventures.
Tag: standardized testing
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Our good friend and UTL president Paul Georges shared this article with me this morning: “Is a good teacher one who makes kids happy or one who raises test scores“. If you read nothing else in this post, migrate to EdWeek and read that article. For educators, this is the question above all questions because…
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Make no mistake about it. The new and improved testing that is coming at Massachusetts schools starting next spring is a debacle in the making. Thanks to Tracy Novick for making some of the details more apparent to those interested in trying to stay informed about the new requirements. Read her latest post (link in previous…
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If you haven’t yet looked at the PARCC sample tests available, you should (link here). It doesn’t matter what your connection might be to education – parent, teacher, child – take a look. The practice tests are available in both paper-pencil and computer form, but if you can, try out the computer based test (CBT)…
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Who is this Mitchell Chester and why is he so invested in PARCC testing? Mitchell Chester is the current Commissioner of Education in Massachusetts. Think of that as a district superintendency, but on a state level. He was unanimously selected to be Massachusetts Commissioner of Education in 2008, following a 7-year stint in Ohio as Senior…
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As I sat down to write about my personal opinions about PARCC and standardized testing in general, I came to the realization that a single post might not be enough. Over the course of the next week, I’ll be posting about PARCC and some of the reasons it merits the attention of anyone connected to…
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School Committee Meeting: Wednesday, January 20, 2016 All members present. Twenty-seven items were posted on this agenda which included an Executive Session to discuss contract negotiations and consideration of contract extensions for two Assistant Superintendents. Although most of the meeting was routine, there were two points that caused longer discussion: STEM at Lowell High and…
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Recently the New York Times published an article revealing some of the back story about standardized test scoring. Read the story in entirety here. Is there anyone else who finds the bar for test scorers a little low? This year our grade level team struggled to standardize both on-demand and project writing samples. Trust me,…
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Yesterday, we – my class and I – wrapped up our standardized state testing for 2013. What a long, strange, trip it has been. Starting last March with our Reading MCAS test, my students have been demonstrating their knowledge of third grade skills. That’s right, last March, when we were 7 months into our academic…
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My students started their state testing yesterday. While it continues to aggravate me that my kids are getting tested as if it were the end of the school year (which, believe me it is not!), the test is here and we need to deal with it. By the way, did I mention the test is…
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There are no brackets. There are only anxious and tense teachers and students. Stressed to the maximum. And the cracks are starting to show. We are in the middle of our test marathons. Last week it was MEPA – Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessent, given to 15 out of my 22 children to assess their growth…
After An Educator's Journey 