Dr. Breidenstein was right, I do want to read this whole book! It really was extremely inspiring, and so well written. I honestly wish I could see these teachers specific lesson plans, because I have absolutely no idea how they fit it all in. The author describes that some students came to the school barely knowing how to read. So the teachers had to design curriculum that simultaneously taught basic skills, as well as topics students need to prepare for an elite college. They somehow managed to do this while spending half their time preparing students for the idiocy that is standardized testing and state benchmarks.
I say idiocy because, as stated in the book, the tests and standards do not have anything to do with what the students are actually learning. EPAA was praised for sending students to amazing colleges and reaching the most neglected students, yet they were in danger of being shut down for not meeting these requirements.
I understand the need to be sure schools are actually helping students with the money they receive, accountability is important. But there has to be a better way to measure progress than a test that is biased towards students with a white middle class background. Even then the test don't make much sense. I recently took the 2014 STAAR reading exam for 8th grade. By all accounts I come from an extremely privileged anglo background, I am a History major here at Trinity so I read often, and I got a perfect score on the reading portion of the SAT. And I still struggled to understand an exam meant for EIGHTH GRADERS. There is something very wrong with this picture. You should not need to learn tricks to pass a test.
I feel your frustration, Sara. Take comfort in the fact though that policy makers are finally wising up to the fact that this is not a sustainable way to check for proficiency nationally, and we are slowly moving away from such a testing-intensive atmosphere. I, like you, appreciated that this school didn't let high-stakes testing get in the way of teaching meaningful course material.
ReplyDeleteI think it is pretty upsetting that education has become a business in the sense of learning the tricks of the trade, rather than pursuing mastery of the material. I came from a privileged background as well, so I had access to multiple courses and tutoring for practically every test i've ever had to take. You know there's a problem when we get annoyed that a system is so grossly imbalanced in the favor or a select few, even if it's our own.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sara. I think that the current education system that is set up requires teachers to spend too much time preparing students for passing classes and getting good grades rather than preparing them for a successful life. At EPAA they were able to teach students how to improve and to get better despite their circumstances. This skill is worth more than passing any test, yet EPAA did not fulfill the standards that the government required. This shows that the system is corrupt and needs to be changed.
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