In a perfect world, I would assess my students on their effort, the progress they make in the classroom, and the way they treat their peers and teachers. I think that there are so many other things that are more important than just being book smart. Just because someone is book smart doesn't mean they will make a positive contribution to the community. Someone who is kind to others, gives 100% all the time, and makes progress through the year would get an A in my class. Of course, if someone is doing their best all of the time, they should be making progress.
The SOL's are great because they provide a standard that every student must meet in order to move on to the next grade. It makes life easier for everyone involved, the student passes the test, then great they get to go to the next grade. If they don't, then we have to do remediation and possibly hold them back. The SOLs are great because they determine if a teacher is doing a good job or not. If the students all pass, then the teacher is good and can keep getting paid and not lose their job. If the students don't pass, then the teacher should not get paid as much and be watched more closely to make sure they are doing their job.
But really, the SOL's aren't that great. I grew up going to a small Catholic school in Tennessee and I had never heard of the SOL until I moved to Virginia. We had a few standardized tests that we took toward the end of the year that ranked us nationally, but it really did not mean anything. I think the SOL's put too much pressure on teachers and take away from their ability to teach. I understand that there should be goals in place for students to reach, but when a teacher is so worried about their job or their pay based on how their students perform at the end of the year, it definitely reflects their teaching. They want to get it all done on their set schedule. And what about snow days? Shoot, that really could mess a teacher up that needs to make sure she stays on track for the SOL's. Sure they have some built in make up days, but what about when you have so many snow days that they have to tack on at the end of the year? That isn't going to help a teacher because the SOLs are at the beginning of May!
I don't think that SOLs are the best choice for testing our students and making sure every student is on track. However, at this point, I really don't have a better suggestion or idea. I just know that I believe that you can get a lot further in life and be a more positive influence in the world by being kind, putting effort into your work, and continually making progress in everything you do.
Courtney- I did not even think to mention how I would assess my students based on behaviors and how they treat their peers. It is so great that you mentioned this. I was thinking entirely academically, but you are right that there is so much more to an education that just content. Effort should absolutely be considered when assessing a student. As long as my students are trying their absolute hardest and showing me that they care about their learning, I will be a happy teacher!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of assessing the student on how they behave, I would add that to my curriculum as well! Thanks for the idea. I like how you brought out the positive potential of the SOLs and how they should be used but unfortunately in reality they bring stress to students and are all that most teachers care about. Effort is another great point, there should be more place on effort. Some kids are naturally smart while others have to work hard at things. Giving the students encouragement through "grades" for their effort is a great motivation.
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