My 4th grader took the MAP-R (county-wide standardized reading assessment) on like the 6th day of school. Not such a huge deal at all. I heard about it and checked in with him about it, but for him it was just another blip on the radar of his day. I'm not sure what all the thrashing about by parents is about. The teachers need to get a baseline for the kids' reading levels so they know how to break the class into reading groups for the year.

I teach middle school outside the DMV area. We have to get their reading assessments out of the ready, and are doing one a day (1-2 hours). That along with organizational stuff, getting to know you, etc. It's better to do it now -- disruptive once instruction is underway.

I have a current k student who missed the cut off and spent last year in a private k class. That teacher did not do assessment. It was not a year of great progress. The teacher may not have been the beat, but she could not describe my kid's skills with any particularity, but rather could only discuss what she was teaching the class. I have become a fan of assessments!

Anonymous wrote:
I promise that most of the teachers aren't super excited about doing assessments now. But groups need to be made for small group instruction, and getting an idea where everybody is as quickly as possible is the way to make it happen. Don't fret...in most schools the groups are flexible, so if the kiddos didn't do their finest on the first week of school and show off that they are better readers/adders/etc later on, they'll move again.

Relax. There's a lot of months left for triple question marks. Start slow.

I agree but why is the entire month (and I mean entire!) of Jan and May doing reassessments. People who are PC and don't want classrooms based on ability (god forbid your child is not in the highest) are somehow content with this constant yearly assessments and regrouping of reading groups. When I was in school the entire class was at or near your ability. The higher the knowledge, the higher the ratios. The lower knowledge had lower ratios and reading specialists come in to work with them. I don't understand why this is not done anymore. One section for reading/writing and another section for math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My third-grader DS had his assessment today. He said it was more than four hours, with close to 500 questions, including some that could be considered pre-calc. He was pretty upset when he came home. We'll be starting Kumon next week.

How was the air-conditioning?

Stop it. Crying right now.

I promise that most of the teachers aren't super excited about doing assessments now. But groups need to be made for small group instruction, and getting an idea where everybody is as quickly as possible is the way to make it happen. Don't fret...in most schools the groups are flexible, so if the kiddos didn't do their finest on the first week of school and show off that they are better readers/adders/etc later on, they'll move again.

Relax. There's a lot of months left for triple question marks. Start slow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my school, the time window for kindergarten assessments opened on the first day of school and our principal said she expected the K teachers to begin testing no later than the 3rd day of school. Oh yes.

When do you think the kindergarten teachers should start assessing? The fourth day? The tenth day? The twenty-first day?

I don't think that kindergarteners should have a substitute for days upon end beginning on the 3rd day of school so their teacher can spend days testing. Call me crazy.

Our K teachers use group reading time to assess each student - so last year it took 26 days three times a year to assess kids. Reading groups did not start until October. Meanwhile the rest of the 25 are running around the class doing centers, which basically was free play. The teacher stops multiple times with the assessment of one student to redirect kids, yell at them, go over and direct them to do something else, quiet down etc...

So I would take a substitute for a few days that had the focus on all the kids while the teacher assessed 5-7 kids a day - and get it over with . In a heartbeat!!

I think assessing the kids three times a year for hours on end is a colossal waste of time for the kids and teachers. If you see their work, see them in reading groups, a good teacher shouldn't have to sit down and assess them. It is being shown daily.

Beverly Farms students took tests today under glorious conditions - executive desk chairs, perfect room temperature, ergonomic pencils, new desks and fresh banana bread and chocolate milk as a mid-test snack. A trained masseuse gave back rubs in between every 25 questions.

Anonymous wrote:Frigid. He said the room was probably as cold as Canada. I'm guessing it was probably 40 degrees in there. Nice testing conditions. Thanks Starr.

And the chairs were uncomfortable, too?

Frigid. He said the room was probably as cold as Canada. I'm guessing it was probably 40 degrees in there. Nice testing conditions. Thanks Starr.

Anonymous wrote:My third-grader DS had his assessment today. He said it was more than four hours, with close to 500 questions, including some that could be considered pre-calc. He was pretty upset when he came home. We'll be starting Kumon next week.

How was the air-conditioning?

My third-grader DS had his assessment today. He said it was more than four hours, with close to 500 questions, including some that could be considered pre-calc. He was pretty upset when he came home. We'll be starting Kumon next week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my school, the time window for kindergarten assessments opened on the first day of school and our principal said she expected the K teachers to begin testing no later than the 3rd day of school. Oh yes.

When do you think the kindergarten teachers should start assessing? The fourth day? The tenth day? The twenty-first day?

Honestly, the kids should be tested before school and put into classrooms based on ability. Would save so much time and kids would be with similar peers. Less reading groups too. But I am sure wasting all of Sept, Jan and May on K assessments for a report card of P's is worth it.

They are tested before school starts in 3rd grade - its called end of year 2nd grade - but kids lose ground over the summer and need to be re-tested. Unless you want to come back a week early - and then you are still testing IN SCHOOL - so you are not logical unless you are advocating for a shorter summer or year round schooling.

Anonymous wrote:
Agree with PP.

It may have been a 30 minute assessment with a break in the middle.

Also, with the applications for the Highly Gifted Center coming up rather quickly, and teachers having to fill out an evaluation sheet for each applicant, it's good they get to know (academically) their students as soon as possible.

No - the teacher's evaluation doesn't come that early - their evaluation isn't made until December, after they've had time to get to know your student. Your application is in early November which lets the teacher know that they will need to make an evaluation. Further that evaluation is done with a team, and with the input of the 2nd grade teachers as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my school, the time window for kindergarten assessments opened on the first day of school and our principal said she expected the K teachers to begin testing no later than the 3rd day of school. Oh yes.

When do you think the kindergarten teachers should start assessing? The fourth day? The tenth day? The twenty-first day?

Honestly, the kids should be tested before school and put into classrooms based on ability. Would save so much time and kids would be with similar peers. Less reading groups too. But I am sure wasting all of Sept, Jan and May on K assessments for a report card of P's is worth it.

Fewer.

Jesus, is that you DH, you and your obsession with "fewer" rather than "less"? I'm so over it.