Reply to Underwhelming appearance by Principal Martin at Wilson HS Open House

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't think it reflects all that poorly on the school, unless you choose to only assume the kids didn't take the test because of some silly reason.  These kids have been tested constantly, for years.  They are told in elementary school, when they take 4 or 5 practice tests throughout the year, that it matter for their teachers, the school, whatever.  Then they are tested again multiple times in middle school.  Then they finally get to HS, where there are some tests that do matter, and they are still tested like they have been since elementary school.  Throughout this entire process, they have seen very little change resulting from all these tests.  It's no wonder they question the need for the PARCC.  I suppose they should have risen above it all and taken it seriously, but that's expecting an awful lot from teenagers whose entire academic experience has shown them these kinds of tests don't do much more than make their teachers nervous.

I do think DCPS needs a way to assess how well their students are doing; but, once they have done so, they need to actually try to implement some policies that address whatever they feel is lacking as a result of these tests.  That's the point. Just administering a different test, or more tests, doesn't do anything unless they are willing to adapt a curriculum in a way that starts to show some kind of real improvement.

Seriously - DCPS kids take WAY more tests throughout the year than kids in other school districts.  I was amazed when I heard parents complaining about all their kids' tests when they just had 3 days a year devoted to them.  2 weeks of prep, and 3 days of test taking a year.  That's it.  And that was considered too much.

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If it's not required by OSSE and some charter schools are not giving the same number of tests, parents should really push back. Not just by seeking an opt-out and when that is not granted, have the kids drop the test. Organize and make a stink about it. I would if I had a child in the testing age. I know it's easier said than done, but still...

This would be a great follow up piece to the WaPo article on the PARCC results and how Wilson tanked so badly. [/quote]

Ask and you'll receive:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/what-went-wrong-at-dcs-high-achieving-wilson-high-school/2016/09/02/c3b3fd9e-704d-11e6-8533-6b0b0ded0253_story.html

[quote]When Buzzbee realized that the review session for AP Chemistry at Wilson High was scheduled last spring at the same time as the PARCC, she felt she had little choice. “Chemistry was such a difficult subject for me and the AP exam is very strenuous,” Buzzbee said. “Me and a lot of people in my class decided not to take the exam and go to the review instead. There was never any explicit reason we were given about why we were supposed to take the (PARCC) exam.

Interviews with several Wilson students and parents showed there was confusion at Wilson last spring swirling around the PARCC exam...Sophie ReVeal, a senior at Wilson, said her parents got a school administrator to remove her from the PARCC testing pool so she wouldn’t have to miss two AP English classes. She said the testing process was disorganized and confusing but shouldn’t reflect poorly on the school’s teachers and student body.

On the day the scores were made public, Kimberly Martin, Wilson’s principal, said she was aware that some students rushed through the English test, spending five or 10 minutes on an exam that is designed to last at least 90 minutes...Asked to elaborate, Martin agreed to an interview with the Post but then cancelled it Thursday.[/quote][/quote]

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