Seriously... you want to evaluate (not judge.. because that is something entirely different, right??) me and my teaching on test scores. Fine, dandy, makes about as much sense as most things we do in education today.

So... end of semester one this week. Testing.. lots and lots of testing. 

Sign up computer lab to do testing in, because even though students have school issued netbooks, they forget them, they aren't charged, they have so much junk downloaded on them that the computers run SLOWLY.

Great.. at least in here, things will run smoothly. Or not...

The adjoining room is where the computer techs come each week to fix broken netbooks. There IS a door which separates the two rooms, but the noise level of everything they say and do is much the same as if they were standing front and center in this room. To their credit, they do lower their voices when I go and ask them. But the banging of them moving around, the pulling of tape off a roll, the other constant noises, are distracting to say the least.

I keep tabs on students. One is on #25 of 45 questions about 45 minutes into class. I start formulating a plan for him to finish the test. But alas, he has also noticed the time crunch and miraculously finishes the last 20 questions in under 5 minutes. I am certain he did well on THOSE questions. 

The others plod along each hour, with interruptions to go to the bathroom - students who never ask to go to the bathroom - but it must be the pressure of the testing situations and suddenly they MUST go, NOW. Pencils break, and of course, there is no sharpener in the room so they have to go down the hall to sharpen. People walk by the door. One student finishes and because he refused to bring a book to read when he was done, now he is a constant thorn in everyone's side making irritating noises and movements. 

I can't wait to give the LONG language arts test to my special ed kids 4th hour.. that should be a GREAT experience. 22 pages, 22 long pages,  of reading selections and questions. Why torture them? They know, and I know, and everyone else knows, they read well below grade level. Why do we need another torturous test to show that? 

And of course, the absent students... they will have to miss a day of classroom instruction to make up their tests, to prove once again that they are stupid, and not worthy, and below grade level, making them another day behind, causing them to fall further behind and into even more abysmal failure.

Yes, test more, test more, test more. Evaluate my worth on their tests, please. Don't let me teach. Don't let me encourage. Don't let me individualize. Just test them, and prove again and again they are lagging behind. But don't give me the resources or the opportunity to meet them where they are, coax them to where they could be, but instead, just keep expecting them to fit the round hole you've created for them to be shoved into. 

and wonder why so many talented teachers give up.. and move on to other careers....