The State Test

A big, big bunch of you future MTC teachers out there should get used to the following four words: Subject Area Testing Program. If you are doomed to have those words associated with your preps, they will make you a life a little more challenging. It seems that for some reason that new teachers, especially the MTC variety of new teachers, have a high likelihood of being placed in one of the state tested subjects: Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and US History from 1877 to Present. It is likely some combination of the following factors:

1) Nobody wants to teach them
2) It is easier to blame an outsider if things don't work out
3) You will be one of the most competent teachers at your school

The results of the test are used to rank the school. Most of the schools that you will be at suck on some level (or else they wouldn't need you). For that reason you will be under immense pressure to raise scores quickly.

Let me repeat.

THERE IS A LOT OF PRESSURE.

The pressure won't kill you. You just need to be prepared for it.

You will find your administration doing things that might seem to be unethical to people with a shred of integrity. For example, my school purged the rosters of SATP classes. Any students they thought would fail were moved to other classes until the next year. That is one of the many things that may or may not happen next year. In my view, it is best not to fight it.

I teach English II. I get leaned on all the time to achieve the "bold targets" (that would require us to triple our proficiency levels in one year) and to meet the "adequate yearly progress" goals of No Child Left Behind. For some reason I have to make up for over a decade of inadequate education in one year.

The biggest problem for me was the spotlight my administration put on me. I had a lot of developing to do as a teacher and it sucked to have people leaning on me all the time to generate results. The spotlight continually grows as the testing date draws near (only one week away). I increasingly lose my autonomy to teach as I desire as random people tell me what I should be doing at any given moment. My principal pulled me into a meeting two weeks ago and told my class to stop reading a novel because it wouldn't be on the test.

There is also some upside. I found that the SATP teachers get almost anything they need if it helps them raise scores. I have also found that with all the constant assessments and data mining that it is easier to see measurable improvement in your students (at least the ones who will do the work).

You can improve test scores if you do nothing other than getting the kids to answer all the questions and to actually try. If you teach them some grammar and what good writing looks like, you might be looking at some measurable gains. Just don't expect miracles to happen left and right. Progress is all that matters

As much as the testing regime bothers me, I guess I really haven't learned my lesson (or I might just like the challenge). I am changing from one SATP subject (English II) to another (US History from 1877 to Present) next year. I am excited.

If any of you all need some English II materials/strategies/prayers, I should have a ton.