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SOL14...PARCC Testing Blues

PARCC Testing Blues

     Well...it's officially here. PARCC testing. Thinking about it from a teacher standpoint, I get excited. It's finally a chance for students to show off everything they've been learning and how smart they are. The tests are in the morning, so the first two hours of school are nice and quiet. I love quiet. And while I need to be monitoring and walking around the room checking in with students, it's also a chance for me to catch up (or get ahead) on different things. So this morning, I came in positive and ready to start. 
     I got to school early, made myself a warm cup of tea, got all of my test materials open and ready to go, and had a few minutes to myself to check email before gym duty. The day was perfect! On the walk down to the gym, I smiled and said good mornings as I passed people in the hall. I held the door open as dozens of kids filed into the gym. More good mornings were exchanged and the kids all seemed happy and content with their friends. When I got back to my room, we did attendance and found out all my kiddos showed up. The morning was even better! Then, I started talking to them about PARCC and my mood dropped. 
     My students were not positive and ready to start. They did not share the same happy attitude I did AT ALL. As we started talking, preparing ourselves for prep, I realized something important. They were the ones who had to take the test. They were the ones that were being assessed. I'd been thinking about it from my point of view, but not from theirs. 
"What if I get one wrong?"
"Does this test determine if I can go to 7th grade?"
"How many questions can I get wrong and still pass?"
"When do we find out what scores we got?"
"What if we do bad? Do we have to take them again?"
"Will we still be allowed to go to the assembly and field trip if we don't pass?"
     My heart hurt listening to all these questions. How could I have been so selfish? Of course it was an easy day for me, I just had to sit and watch them answer questions. I didn't have to actually answer any myself or write any responses. No wonder they weren't in a good mood. They were worried about their scores and not knowing all the correct answers. 
     Rethinking my approach, I instead tried to reassure them. Of course it wouldn't determine if they got to move on to 7th grade or not. Of course they would still be allowed to go on field trips and see assemblies. As long as they came to school every day, took the test, and tried their hardest they had nothing else to worry about. We talked about how much time students had for the test, how it was broken down into sections so there weren't as many questions, how they could bookmark questions and come back to them later. Some of them seemed to feel better after the discussion, some still seemed just as nervous. I felt bad, knowing there was only so much I could do for them. 
     We spent our last few minutes discussing relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, and break times. With nothing else to do but log in and get started, everyone got one last drink of water and then settled in to test...
     
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  1. NoëlMarch 14, 2018 at 7:48 PM

    Testing times are stressful! Glad you read the room and met their needs.

    ReplyDelete

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