More Testing (Sigh!)

Hello, and welcome to MStep testing.  For my freshmen, it just means that I'm pulled out of the class a couple of times (so they will have a sub) and their schedule twice this week is flipped on its ear, so we'll try to make sure everyone goes wherever they need to go, and everything gets done that needs to be done.  For my juniors...I don't know what it means.  This week the focus is on testing for language arts.  I know for sure that they will all be doing an activity to prepare for the test in my class on Monday, and then they will all spend two days testing online.  I have heard from teachers and administrators in other districts that the people requiring the tests have WAAAAY underestimated how much time it takes to do them; I have also heard that the technology issues in taking the online tests have been through the roof.  So I really don't know what will happen.

Here is my plan.  Please keep us in your thoughts and hope that I can stick to this plan and then our time will hopefully be used in valuable ways:

• In English 9 we're finishing the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  We have two chapters to go and I cannot tell you how sad I am that it's coming to an end.  This is my favorite book to teach, and I'm pretty sure it's my favorite book of all time.  They've pulled it into the 8th grade, so unless they switch me to middle school, I'm done teaching it at this point.  We got to my favorite line, when Scout sees Boo Radley in the corner of the room and says, "Hey, Boo," and I just wanted to cry.  I call my own children "Boo," and it's because of this novel.  When they walk through the door of the house, I quite often say, "Hey, Boo," and it's all because of this moment of Scout's recognition of the person who not only saves her life that night, but who has been saving her throughout her life, and it's the most open, honest, and beautiful moment, so I say it to the people who came into my life and have made it everything meaningful.

          Anyway, so we'll be reviewing for the test in a couple of ways - worksheets and activities - and then the test will be Thursday morning.  Then we'll work on the analytical essay for a few days.  There won't be any vocab. this week because of focusing on assessment for the novel.  I will be doing a focus on verbs and grammar for the bell work; I can take attendance while they do it.

• In English 11 we'll be doing the following:
• Monday - required Activity for MStep; reading time with notes for the Human Rights project
• Tuesday - 2nd and 3rd Hour - online test; 3rd, 4th and 5th Hour - video clips - heroism, reading, discussion
• Wednesday - 4th and 5th Hour - online test; 2nd, 3rd and 4th Hour - mini-lesson - juxtaposition, reading, discussion
• Thursday - 2nd and 3rd Hour - online test; 3rd, 4th and 5th Hour - mini-lesson - juxtaposition, reading, discussion
• Friday - 4th and 5th Hour - online test; 2nd, 3rd and 4th Hour - mini-lesson - juxtaposition, reading, discussion

            This is the best way I can explain it.  If it takes longer than two hours to take the online tests, the whole schedule will be thrown into chaos and we'll have to play everything by ear.  I'm proctoring the test, so if it runs over, subs will have to fill in for my regular classes and we won't be able to do mini-lessons or discussion.

A week from now I can let everyone know how it all went.  Hopefully we'll have nothing but positives, right?  In the meantime, if you have questions or need me, you know how to find me!  Ciao!


More Testing (Sigh!) by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License