ED notes: Critical Thinking Newsletter

Connie Moore, M.Ed.

Think back a moment to your school days…those smells of crayons, glue, and cafeteria food, fun at recess and dances, friends made for a lifetime, favorite teachers, and wonderful memories. Taking a test or exam was probably not a memory that automatically flashed into your mind. Tests have always been a part of our education system, but today’s high-stakes testing system has taken its place firmly in the center of our school programs.

Campus administrators have the challenging task of maintaining an appropriate focus on the expectations for their students’ performance on standards-based assessments without placing undue or unhealthy pressure on students, teachers, and parents. Accomplishing this balance can prove to be a daunting charge for principals at any school, but it can be achieved. Here are a few ideas that might inspire you to view your school’s “testing” program in a different light.

Set the tone at the beginning of the year for high expectations for all. Students are expected to give their best effort every school day. They must know and understand what is expected of them in regard to their behavior and learning. All adults on campus are expected to positively fulfill their roles and contribute to the most effective and productive learning environment for all students. Teachers must provide sound, well-planned lessons that cause students to think deeply and to be independent learners. Finally, parents are expected to support the school and its mission by attending parent conferences, by providing practice time at home, and by sending their children to school every day ready to learn and to be a positive member of the school community. Inspiring messages and words of encouragement throughout the year provide the feedback that students, teachers, and parents need to be reminded of and to reach these expectations. Remember that the campus administrator carries the torch and leads the charge toward academic excellence.

As so eloquently stated by Stephen Covey, “Begin with the end in mind.” All school community members deserve to know the outcomes that are expected by the nation, state, district, and campus administration. Publish these objectives/goals and celebrate the progress made toward them through posted student work and benchmark results, student/parent conferences, and portfolio sharing. Focus on positive growth and learning. Though all students must meet the expectations of the standards, allow for individualized differences when it comes to the when and how those objectives will be met. When improvement areas are determined at the individual, class, or campus level, provide specific support to the teachers and students, along with the resources that are needed to accelerate student learning. When the expectations become a part of the daily conversations on your campus, when “test day” arrives, all will be comfortable, prepared, and at ease with the need to perform at a high level of achievement.

Finally, be the model for the kind of school community that you want for your students, staff, and parents. Know every child by name and get to know their parents. When students see you in their classrooms, in the cafeteria, and at loading duty, they see that you are involved in every part of their school day. They see you working diligently to lead their school. In turn, they will work conscientiously to learn and progress. Finally, know your staff and their families. Because of the time that we all spend at school, the adults in our care need support and a personal connection in order for their work day to be productive and meaningful. Fill in for a teacher to take a quick break, help with an intervention group, and reduce the clerical tasks so that the teachers’ focus is on their students and teaching.

If you expect 100% effort, work, and care from your students, staff, and parents, then you must live that 100% model each and every day. Now, back to testing…when we provide a school environment for our students as described, “testing day” will take care of itself. Students will be prepared, calm, and ready to perform at their best to meet the required standards. In the years to come, when our students remember their school days with us, they will remember being surrounded by adults who were professional, who were committed to them, and who paved the path for reaching their potential on the test and in our society.

Preparing Students to Meet the State’s Assessment Standards

Beverly Collins, M.Ed.

With the enactment of No Child Left Behind and the focus on accountability, it is paramount that students meet the standards assessed at the state level. State assessments provide needed data to assure that students are learning what they need to learn as well as to assess whether educators are successfully teaching what needs to be taught. The purpose of this article is to share ideas that help teachers prepare their students for success on state assessments.

In order for students to achieve success on state assessments, teachers must teach the state’s performance standards. This requires that educators know and understand what is to be taught. Teachers must carefully study their state’s learning standards and involve themselves in professional development that focuses on best practices.

Teachers must also teach in a way that students comprehend what is being taught. Providing differentiated instruction that focuses on meeting the needs of individual students can prove successful. Differentiation may occur by providing varied experiences in what students need to learn (content), how students learn (process), and/or how students demonstrate what they have learned (product). Materials should be presented in a way that considers the learning styles of individual students.

Teachers need to know what students can and cannot do at any given time throughout the year. Give students benchmarks that focus on mastery of standards on a regular basis. Disaggregate assessment data so that results drive instruction. Teach test formats that reflect state assessments. Expose students to models they will see on the assessments. Teach and reinforce vocabulary that will be encountered on the state's assessments. Give students opportunities to build test stamina through frequent practice that increases in difficulty and duration over time.

Interventions should be provided as soon as students show signs of difficulty learning a new skill. Interventions should be matched to students’ needs and should consider learning preferences of individual students. Interventions might include an increase in instructional time, a change in the way materials are presented, or a change in grouping from large group to small group to one-on-one instruction.

Finding ways to involve parents in their childrens’ education is also important for student success. When students know their parents care and have high expectations, they perform better in school. Teachers must keep parents informed by providing information about what is being taught, by communicating student expectations for assignments, homework, etc., and by holding parent/teacher conferences on a regular basis. Communication should flow from home to school and school to home.

In conclusion, when teachers know what is to be taught, when they teach in a way that considers individual needs, when they know what students can and cannot do, and when they involve parents in school, students achieve higher success on state assessments.

Staff Development

Connie Moore, M.Ed.

To prepare for test day, we so often get caught up in the rules and the procedures that we forget to remind our staff of their students' feelings on these challenging days. Any administrator who has worked lunch duty on a testing day can tell you that students are far different on these days as a result of the pressure and the out-of-the-ordinary feel of these days. To help your test givers put themselves in the places of our students on test day, use a staff meeting to simulate a student’s test day. Start with a prepared skit that begins with a child at home with an overprotective parent who is nervous that her son might not pass the test and receive promotion credit. Remember too that all children are not accustomed to eating a large breakfast that we encourage parents to provide on test day. Next continue with the teachers walking into your usual staff development meeting place with all of the seats out of order and all things on the wall covered. Provide a great deal of tension in your voice through the training, simulating what often occurs with the adults on campus on test day. Continue with unusual requirements, such as limited times for restroom breaks, raised hands for a pencil or drink, etc. Your creativity using ideas from your specific testing situation will complete this training. Remember the purpose of the training is to help your staff step into their students’ shoes on test day to promote a campus environment of encouragement and support for all.

Tips to Tackle the Test

Karen White, M.Ed.

If spring is near, can testing season be far behind? With this thought in mind, it is never too early to begin preparing for state and/or national assessments. Advanced planning can go far in preventing last-minute test jitters for campus administrators. Consider the following tips to ensure a smooth testing process on your campus:

Identify small or special group testing needs, and assign students to groups, testing locations, and test administrators. Ensure that all required paperwork has been completed if students have special testing accommodations.
Conduct test administrator training on your campus. Maintain a file that includes a training sign-in sheet and all signed oaths of confidentiality.
Check test materials as they are received from the district assessment coordinator. Order additional testing materials as early as possible. If you have students who will test using large print or Braille materials, ensure that these materials have been ordered well in advance.
Prepare test booklet tracking forms for each test administrator on the campus. Record the sequence of test materials that each test administrator will receive for each test.
Make and laminate “TESTING - Do Not Disturb” signs on brightly colored paper for teachers to place on their doors. These signs may be reused for subsequent test administrations.
Purchase plastic tubs or large size zipper bags and label them for each test administrator. Place all testing materials in each tub or bag along with a supply of sharpened pencils, a test booklet roster, special reminders, the “Do Not Disturb” sign, and a “teacher treat” such as a bag of peanuts or a candy bar.
Plan well in advance how to revise schedules for special classes on test days. Notify all teachers, both testing and non-testing, at least a week in advance so that all staff will be familiar with revisions to the daily schedule.
Send home a “testing reminder” notice with all students, testing and non-testing, the day before the test. The note should not only remind parents of the testing date(s) and subject(s), but it should also provide tips for parents to help their children be well-rested and prepared for the test. Parents want their children to do well on tests, but are often at a loss for ways they can help.

From the Field

I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how much we here at Westwood Elementary appreciate doing business with you! You have been so helpful with providing information to us regarding the items we wanted to order for our teachers. When there was a problem with two of the flip charts we ordered, you promptly and pleasantly remedied the situation. If more companies had the same philosophy as Mentoring Minds and employees such as you, it would be a wonderful world indeed! It is a real pleasure to do business with people who understand the confines of a school budget! Unfortunately, I have had to deal with companies who are very rigid when dealing with problems. It is not a pleasant experience, I assure you! However, I know when I make a call to you I will be handled professionally, courteously, and promptly. Thank you for providing excellent customer service and a quality product.

Libby Beltz, Westwood Elementary

Phone: 1-800-585-5258

Fax: 1-800-838-8186

Mentoring Minds, LPP.O. Box 8843Tyler, TX 75711

Mentoring Minds, LP
P.O. Box 8843
Tyler, TX 75711