Opening Season

Getting back to the heart of the matter today, I want to revisit my blog title: Love is All Around You. My students, all students are going to need to feel the love this time of year. They're going to need a force of love wrapped all round them. You see, with pre-season (state writing test) behind us, testing season opens this week. Never mind the mind blowing awfulness for teachers, and I assure you it's awful on several levels, this time of year tests the confidence, emotional wellness, and mental stability of our students. The number of tests varies from grade to grade, and student to student, based on the course line-up in their schedules, but to give you a little preview. Check this out: 7th graders take a two day reading test and a two day math test within 3 weeks, and then a civics test the following month. 8th graders take two reading, two math, and a science all within about three weeks. It may not seem like that much to an average person, but when you factor in the mental stamina, various levels of confidence, the disruptions in schedule, and the daily mental capacity of a person (like after the test the day is pretty much shot), it is a lot for a teenager to bear.

And that's just the daily schedule of surviving the test physically. Let's talk about all the repercussions. Third graders who don't do well enough on their reading tests can be held back (not arguing for or against this position, just that it creates tremendous pressure), a 5th grader who doesn't do well on reading is forced into intensive reading in 6th grade and will likely remain there through all of middle school, depriving the student of mostly any type of elective or exploratory coursework that might provide the tiniest bit of motivation to come to school. And high school students? Poor test scores can have disastrous effects. From more intensive reading and intensive math, to repeated attempts at tests with cut scores for graduation- Algebra and English Language Arts, and EOC's for various courses weighted at 30% of their grades in those courses. Ultimately, it can end in a certificate of completion instead of a high school diploma, which can result in fewer post-secondary school and career options.

I'm not arguing for or against testing. That's a different post for a different day. I'm pleading with you to wrap every child you know in a bubble of love over the next two months, as they plow their way through these tests, trying to prove what they know, trying to be good enough, trying to make their teachers and themselves look good, trying to prove that schools are accountable for what their kids know. I send out a prayer for all of them: May your inner or higher powers (or both) rise within you to provide the boldest of confidence, the highest academic capacity, the strongest mental stamina, and the internal power to know we will all love you, no matter how you do on test day.