STAR testing

It's coming up... and I don't care. I may be the only teacher within a 100 mile radius that will honestly say this.

The state of California offers $ to schools in order to adopt new textbooks twice every six years. As if basic third grade mathematics changes every three years. Please.

In most schools, like Greg's, teachers are required to teach from the textbook and they must be on certain pages on particular days. Teachers must move students along through the text book, page by page, at the same rate without slowing to clarify or speeding up through the lessons that are too simple.

Last week I finished a lesson on measurement and fractions. I had students measure each other using seamstress tape. They measured various dimensions of their body using centimeters and then calculated their half size. On butcher paper each student drew a perfectly dimensioned half-sized model of themselves. We call them our mini-me. Students worked in partnerships, they learned to cooperate, measure, use centimeters instead of inches, divide by two with large numbers, and many students attempted this mentally. There was so much rich mathematical conversations, I was really proud.

My friend taught a similar lesson where he is forced and intimidated to use only the textbook. He showed a picture of a ruler that was in the book and the kids looked at images and estimated how many inches long they might be. A text book picture of an eraser might be 2 inches tall. Wow, really exciting!

He came home complaining that kids were totally disengaged and their behavior was terrible. Hmmm, I wonder why? Could they be bored to tears?

Oh, but they're being taught how to do well on the STAR test. Now come on people.... Do you really think that his class will score higher on the measurement section of the STAR test than my students who received their lesson? THINK ABOUT IT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

So why don't I care about the STAR test? Because I work incredibly hard to make sure my students love learning. And I can honestly say that all twenty of my students are excited about school. We laugh, we cry, we're a family. My teaching is based on reaching and inspiring children. It is not based on fear of failing the STAR test. And that is why my students will be more successful!