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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I certainly agree that May can be a wasted time in schools due to the overabundance of testing, as well as the early graduation of seniors, but I do not blame the teachers.  [b]Many teachers of 11th and 12th graders have only a small handful of students in class during the two week period over which AP exams are given.  It's virtually impossible to try to provide meaningful instruction to literally a handful of random students while this is happening, so many assign a long term independent project or even show a movie. [/b] Then seniors have exams and leave the building before Memorial Day, which also causes a disruption and leaves many upper level classes with only a small number of younger students left until the end of the year.  Why don't seniors stay until the end of the year like everyone else?  The reason students don't come in until 11:30 on some testing days is because the staff is needed to administer the standardized tests.  Each testing room requires both an examiner and a proctor, and rooms that provide accommodations are very heavily staffed for things like individual "read to" accommodations or "dictation" where a teacher must be present to write down everything a student dictates.  Students with extended time usually have two sets of examiners and proctors so split up the time on tests that end up lasting 4+ hours.  All of these people must be certified teachers, so almost everyone in the building is occupied during a morning of testing.  There's no way schools could provide instruction if the rest of the building came to school those mornings because there are simply not enough adult bodies.  I agree that the system is ridiculous and that there's way too much testing, but that's the reality of the situation.  It's one reason why it's ridiculous for schools to day open until mid-June and then extend the year for snow days.  We need instruction time prior to May testing, not during or after.[/quote]

Teachers still have an obligation to teach, no matter how many students are in the room.  Why not have review sessions to prepare for the upcoming exams?  Why not use the opportunity to reteach areas that students who are present may be weak in?  I understand why you do not want to teach new material but why not review with the kids who are present?  Perhaps the kids that are in your class (non-AP students) need the extra help.  A much better option than watching a movie.[/quote]

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