Opting out of STAAR? Is that really an option?
I recently read an article written by the parent of a 3rd grade test taker sharing that her child would opt out of STAAR testing this year. Her biggest complaint seemed to be the stress her daughter felt when talking about the test. I thought about those struggling students who feel doomed for failure. They have poor benchmark test scores foreshadowing a dismal outcome on the STAAR test. As I continued to read the article, I was surprised to read that this student, who had earned A’s on her benchmarks throughout the year, was stressed out by a test that she would most likely do very well on.
What can teachers do to help students enter the testing room confidently? We do need to keep in mind that not all students need the same amount of test prep; we need to match test prep time to learner’s needs. What are we accomplishing with test prep if it’s stressing out our most successful students? What can test prep look like so that it takes away stress rather than adding to it?
I’ve recently worked with small groups of students whose writing benchmark scores weren’t quite passing scores. This provided the opportunity to target only those students who needed additional test prep time. What could I provide for these students in 9 meetings? I did allow the data from benchmarks to identify the skill areas we needed to focus on, and I valued having that data to guide my lessons. However, what I knew I really needed to do for these students was to make them believe they could pass the test despite the benchmark scores they’d earned that predicted they couldn’t.
We met around a large table in what is typically used as a teacher meeting room. The students felt important using the cushioned rolling chairs and pre-packed supply boxes we teachers take for granted at staff development. I focused my early lessons on modeling test taking strategies with lots of think alouds. I gradually moved to releasing responsibility to the students and letting them do the thinking aloud. This allowed me to provide immediate feedback and authentically discuss their thinking and learning with them. When understanding broke down, we were able to respond to it immediately. I was also able to celebrate each student’s success with them immediately as it happened. While some seemed unhappy to be there the first few days, they all were engaged active learners by the last day.
These students needed that extra test prep time (with others who shared the same need) to gain the needed confidence. What can you do though if you don’t have someone else who can work with these students? Looking back, I wish I would have learned to use flexible grouping and target groups earlier in my teaching years. I also learned that students come to after school tutoring with a more positive attitude when given a unique invitation rather than being told they must attend tutoring. What can we do to give those needing a little extra what they need while at the same time helping them value what they are getting?
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