Are Test Scores the Right Focus for choosing lottery entries?

[Anonymous]

I would look for the school that offers the highest quality educational opportunities.

Test scores will not give you any indication of this. You have to determine what the school offers and whether the offering is appropriate for your child.

I would steer clear of schools that are involved in test prep in favor of schools that offer a rich curriculum.

I would look for teachers that are not dependent on the adopted textbooks and other resources. You can evaluate the quality of opportunities by examining the quality of a classroom library. Is it full of high quality literature and nonfiction or is it full of junk?

Do the teachers do a lot of read aloud?

Are the students being exposed to literature?

Is there evidence of music and visual arts being incorporated in the classrooms?

Do the teachers plan field trips or simply sign up for those that are offered?

Do the teachers seem happy? This is actually important. It will affect your child.

Is the school following a strict schedule of DEIBELS and BURST? I would avoid that school. Some DCPS schools are exempt.

Also I would avoid schools that rely heavily on external incentives to motivate students.

I realize that all of this is much more difficult to do than simply looking at test scores.

In the final analysis, you look at the total school environment, the opportunities being offered, the educational philosophy of the school, and the other children in the school. Then you make the best choice for your child.

[Anonymous]

Well, I attended DCPS from K-12, and I vividly remember spending a hours a day for a month preparing for the test in 8th grade. We were given the test, then the answers, then tested again. Rinse and repeat. I knew even back then that something wasn't right and that my teachers probably needed us to score well on the test. It had absolutely nothing to do with teaching us math concepts, just how to take a test.

Now that I'm a mother, I take the results with a grain of salt. Teaching to the test aside, some students are ELL, some are just poor test takers, but are great writers/orators, etc. I know that I've always fallen asleep on standardized testing (including twice on the SATs) out of sheer boredom, so some of my responses are bound to be suspect.lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I attended DCPS from K-12, and I vividly remember spending a hours a day for a month preparing for the test in 8th grade. We were given the test, then the answers, then tested again. Rinse and repeat. I knew even back then that something wasn't right and that my teachers probably needed us to score well on the test. It had absolutely nothing to do with teaching us math concepts, just how to take a test.

Now that I'm a mother, I take the results with a grain of salt. Teaching to the test aside, some students are ELL, some are just poor test takers, but are great writers/orators, etc. I know that I've always fallen asleep on standardized testing (including twice on the SATs) out of sheer boredom, so some of my responses are bound to be suspect.lol

VTS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would look for the school that offers the highest quality educational opportunities.

Test scores will not give you any indication of this. You have to determine what the school offers and whether the offering is appropriate for your child.

I would steer clear of schools that are involved in test prep in favor of schools that offer a rich curriculum.

I would look for teachers that are not dependent on the adopted textbooks and other resources. You can evaluate the quality of opportunities by examining the quality of a classroom library. Is it full of high quality literature and nonfiction or is it full of junk?

Do the teachers do a lot of read aloud?

Are the students being exposed to literature?

Is there evidence of music and visual arts being incorporated in the classrooms?

Do the teachers plan field trips or simply sign up for those that are offered?

Do the teachers seem happy? This is actually important. It will affect your child.

Is the school following a strict schedule of DEIBELS and BURST? I would avoid that school. Some DCPS schools are exempt.

Also I would avoid schools that rely heavily on external incentives to motivate students.

I realize that all of this is much more difficult to do than simply looking at test scores.

In the final analysis, you look at the total school environment, the opportunities being offered, the educational philosophy of the school, and the other children in the school. Then you make the best choice for your child.

These are great questions PP. They made sense back in the day when DCPS teachers had any degree of autonomy in the classroom to teach their students to the best of the abilities. Unfortunately, now that all DCPS schools that aren't granted semi-autonomous status by 825 N Capitol, it matters so much less how talented, innovative, and engaged the teachers are. Rhee wants a formulaic instructor, not an independent educator. If you want truly creative and innovative instruction, you're lucky to live in a city with so many private and charter choices.

Good luck - the best alternatives are out there!

[Anonymous]

Keeping this thread going. It was the beginning of a great conversation.