Reply to S/O - Standardized Testing

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[quote=Anonymous]The problem is that there is so much testing that teachers have a difficult time maintaining continuity with their instruction.  For example, in a few weeks PARCC testing begins.  In my elementary school, K - 2 teachers will be giving mClass to determine end of year reading levels and also giving MAP-P to determine where kids are with math.  mClass can take a couple weeks to complete depending on class size and fluctuations with reading levels.  That's a couple weeks when kids aren't meeting regularly for small group instruction.  MAP-P is a computer based test that can take between 60 - 120min.  
   PARCC is a completely different beast.  At the elementary level in grades 3 - 5 students will take 3 units of English/Language Arts (2 hours of missed instruction for each unit) and 4 units of math (roughly 1.5 hours of missed instruction per unit).  Our school is testing nearly every day in the month of May and first week of June.  In addition, these teachers will also be giving their poor kids MAP-R to assess reading (about 1.5 hours) and MAP-M (1.5 hours) to assess math.  Oh, and these upper grade teachers will also be required to MIRL their kids during small group reading to get yet another reading level.  To me, MIRL has been the best way to gauge students' reading level.  Giving running records and comprehension checks on a regular basis has increased the ability of the teachers in my building to diagnose needs and prescribe strategies to meet the needs of students in their classrooms. We could all do without mClass and PARCC...just way too time consuming for the end result.[/quote]

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