Standardized Test Results

I am not a big fan of standardized testing.  But as long as they remain a part of my job, I have to participate in the ritual.  This post is not to credit or discredit the practice of standardized testing, but rather to focus on the way the results are reported.

I think we can all agree that as parents, one hope is that our children show academic growth each school year.  Of course for that to happen, the child needs to be ready and willing to learn and to have the needed support from home, as well as the care and guidance of a good teacher.  As teachers, our goal is the same, to grow each child from where they were in August to somewhere higher when they leave us in June. 

Academic growth can be measured in many ways.  Everyone needs to remember that standardized tests are only one measure.  Sometimes the statistics of these tests are reported in a manner that does not accurately portray the growth of the students.

From year to year, the percentage of students who ‘pass’ or ‘meet goal’ is generally reported to parents and newspapers in percentages for the current school year. They are reported by grade level, stating what percentage of that grade met goal for the current year.  For example, here is a fictitious report for a group of 6^th grade students over 3 years:

REPORT 1

In 2010 - Grade 6 reading – 94% met goal (Graduating class of 2016)

In 2011 - Grade 6 reading – 92% met goal (Graduating class of 2017)

In 2012 - Grade 6 reading – 87 % met goal (Graduating class of 2018)

What this type of reporting does not show is how much a student grew from the previous year.    Isn’t that what we really want to measure?

Looking at this type of report, one would assume that the 6^th grade class is going down in their reading scores.  ‘I guess the teacher is not doing his job,’ one might assume.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The fact is, you don’t know anything about how well a teacher is doing his job from the information above.  It reports on 3 different sets of students’ scores as they passed through the 6^th grade. 

Let’s look at another way of reporting the same information that follows individual students’ growth.  Following is another fictitious report for the same graduating class of 2018, as highlighted above in red, but this time showing the history of that same graduating class of 2018 over 3 years:

            REPORT 2

Graduating class of 2018–In grade 4 reading–70 % met goal

            Graduating class of 2018–In grade 5 reading –78% met goal
                      (7% increase from previous year)

            Graduating class of 2018–In grade 6 reading–87% met goal 
                      (9% increase from previous year)

Look at the scores in red.  It still tells you that the 6^th grade class of 2018 had 87% of the students meet goal.  In Report 2, you have a different look at these same statistics reported in a much different and more accurate way to show student growth.  The second report shows you what percentage of students grew as they move from grade 4 to grade 6.  Suddenly you are saying kudos to those grade 6 teachers for bringing the class of 2018 from 78% to 87% meeting goal in one academic year. This is celebrated, not looked down upon as a decline in the number of students meeting goal, as one may inaccurately interpret in the first report.  Accurate student growth should not be reported the first way.  It does not follow the same group of students and it can be misleading either in a positive or negative way.

There are other factors that go into the reports too.

·      Every student score is reported, including severely disabled students, medically fragile students, and students suffering from emotional disturbances.

·      If a student is absent for the test (and subsequent make up test), he is reported as not meeting goal, even if he is a brilliant student.

·      If a student is present for the test, but refuses to write anything, he is reported as not meeting goal.

Again, this knowledge provides you with more information and facts when reading and reacting to the percentage of students meeting goal on standardized test scores.

Another reason why this reporting is so crucial to be understood correctly is because teachers in our district, and many other districts are now being evaluated partially by student performance.  All factors have to be understood if a district is going to do this.  For example, in addition to the circumstances mentioned in the three bullets above, at the time of testing:

·      a student’s parents may be going through a tumultuous divorce

·      a student’s parent may be hospitalized for a serious medical condition

·      a student may have just returned back to school after a long absence, due to treatment for a  serious medical condition

·      a student may have just gone through the death of a family member, close relative, or family pet

These are not examples I just creating in my head.  They are all real situations that I have experienced with my students.  There are so many factors that affect student performance from day to day.  The days that standardized testing are administered are no different.  As a matter of fact, they are even more stressful for students.  Judging a teacher’s performance partially based on standardized testing is a delicate issue.  Of course the district and parents want to be sure the teacher is doing his job and thankfully there are many ways to measure that besides looking at standardized test scores.  But teacher evaluation and performance is really another post for the future.  It just bears mentioning in this post due to the connectedness of the topic.

When browsing quickly at statistics in the newspaper, it is easy to misinterpret or misunderstand the information.  It is my hope that this post brings awareness to the difference between the two ways of reporting scores.  I must say, for this post, this is my three cents!  As always, I look forward to comments and anecdotes.  

Gun Control

Another tragedy has brought the topic of gun control to the forefront.  It needs to be in the forefront until changes are made to provide a safer country for all of us.  Let’s start with some facts.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that reads:  

A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. 

It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights. When our forefathers included this clause, its purpose was to make sure that the federal government could not disarm state militias, in other words to keep government in the hands of the people.

Then in 1792, the Congress enacted the Militia Acts of 1792 allowing "free able-bodied white male citizen" into the militia and required such citizens to procure "a good musket or firelock, a sufficient bayonet and belt, two spare flints, and a knapsack, a pouch with a box therein to contain not less than twenty-four cartridges, suited to the bore of his musket or firelock, each cartridge to contain a proper quantity of powder and ball;..."

In the 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own a gun for personal use, unconnected with service in a militia. It also specifically stated that individuals have the right to keep a loaded gun at home for self-defense.  This is a deviation from the intentions of the Second Amendment. 

Fast forward to 2012.  Our country and the world just saw, once again, that there will be mass shootings again and again, and we are not doing enough to stop it from happening.  Why?  Let’s start with assault weapons.  Many of these sprees were carried out with assault weapons.  The NRA has a lot of influence, power, and money and they are against the Assault Weapon Ban. The NRA focuses on a citizen’s right to defend oneself.   Do they believe that every household should have an assault weapon for protection?  Banning assault weapons does not infringe on our Second Amendment rights.  Why can’t the NRA work with the legislators and use its power and influence to make some needed changes for everyone’s safety?  Seriouly NRA, assault weapons are ok?

It goes without saying that James Holmes, a PhD student and the shooter in the recent Aurora spree, is insane, as are all the other shooters in our string of mass murders.  But what are also insane are our gun laws.  Why can’t we make that connection?  This should not be a partisan issue.  We need to take a long hard look at our gun laws and update them to the times we live in, to keep us safer.  Republicans can be good republicans and support gun control laws.

The United States is one of the few developed countries that allow firearms in the hands of the public.  Astoundingly, about 45% of American households have guns, and these are only the registered gun owners that we know about.

Looking at some other countries, Canadian gun laws are among the toughest in the world, especially since the Firearms Act of 1995 has come into full effect. The UK also has some of the toughest gun control laws in the world. If you want to own a gun, you need to spend hours filling in paperwork and proving to police officers that you are not a danger to society, whereas in the United States, you can declare that it is your ‘constitutional right to bear arms’. As a matter of fact, according to research from 2011, only South Africa, Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Swaziland, Brazil, Panama, Estonia, and Mexico had more fire-arm related deaths than the US.  These include homicide, suicide, and unintentional deaths.  I am not happy that our country is grouped up there with these countries in regard to their gun violence.

Almost anyone in the US can buy a gun or an assault weapon, ammunition, and go on a shooting spree. The NRA has fought tooth and nail not to allow proper thorough background checks on people wanting to buy a gun.  Why?  It certainly could not hurt.  Here is another suggestion for the NRA – support thorough background checks.  Even if there is no indication or record of this person being crazy…yet...we allow the opportunity to provide him the means to do a crazy thing, hurting and killing innocent people.   It does not make sense.  Although background checks are only one part of the process, in my opinion, we also need to look closely at how many guns we allow, how many one individual needs to protect himself, and the reasons for allowing these guns in the hands of almost anyone over the age of 21. 

I would also just like to point out that the NRA also supports guns for hunting purposes.  This has nothing to do with second amendment rights.  It is a separate topic and I wish that it would be kept separate.  Period.

So when is it going to change?  What can we do?  For starters, don’t make gun control a partisan issue.  Vote in legislators who ‘get it’ that the world has changed since 1791 in oh-so-many ways, and we need to keep up with those changes.  We seem to be keeping up technologically; why can’t we keep up with safety?  It is not simple and won’t be done overnight, but we need to do all we can to make our country safer, not only from mass shootings, but from homicides too.  As always, this is my two cents.

I don't need any of these to protect myself.  What about you?

Smartphones...Part 2

Thanks to all of you who weighed in on my post from June 30^th on whether I should upgrade to a Smartphone or keep my flip phone.  I was happily surprised to find that I was not the last adult on the planet still using a flip phone.  What it boiled down to, as many of you commented on, was need vs. want.  So what did I decide?

My son and I went to the Verizon Wireless store to check out the latest and greatest last week.  I knew he would find a select a new phone since he was just replacing the one he had, which had taken a college beating over the last two years.  I had no intention of purchasing one that day.  However, not only did I get caught up in the ‘coolness’ of what these phones could actually do, I also found myself in a bonding situation with my son.  We could both get the same phone and he could teach me.  Before long, the VISA was out, contracts were signed, and contacts were transferred over.  We bought two DROID RAZRs.

Let me add that my son lives in the world of texting.  If I call, he won't necessarily call back anytime in the present century, but if I text, I hear from him instantaneously.  This makes no sense to me, but communication is important and if having a Smartphone will make communications easier, that in itself is a reason to upgrade.  It's like they say, "If you can't beat them, upgrade to a Smartphone."

I let my phone sit in the box for a day, then charged it.  I had a mini lesson on the basics from my son.  He helped me set it up the way I wanted.  Alas, it wasn’t long before he was off on a trip with his brother to South America, so I was left on my own to unscramble the rest.  I took advantage of the free class that Verizon offered in their store.  I wasn’t a bit surprised to find that once again, I found myself the youngest one in the room.  (The other time I was the youngest was at rehab after my knee replacement.)

In the back of the store, ten people all over the age of 50, were fumbling with their new devices.  I felt a little ahead of the group at first, but then found that some had been exploring their phones more than I had.  After almost two hours, I left with more knowledge than I entered with, which is always a good measure of success.  The coolest thing I discovered was the speak feature.  I can say, “Call Home Depot in Danbury” and it will dial Home Depot for me!  No charge for looking up the number either.  Gone are those 411 charges, not that I used to incur them, but it is still nice to know that they are gone.

I entered my appointments on the phone’s calendar and have already found it useful when I was out and needed to schedule something additional.  I didn’t have to wait until I got home to check my paper calendar.  I can check email messages when I am out of the house, eliminating the desire to immediately log on to my laptop when I get home.  I have also had need to use the maps feature to check out the situation when the traffic came to a halt on the highway the other day.  Although I have used this feature while with my husband on his cell, I could now do this without him being present. I also like the weather on my home screen, so anytime I turn on the phone, I know the current temperature.  Okay, so maybe this last example is frivolous, but so is having a Smartphone in many regards.

The contact list was a bit overwhelming.  The names from my Gmail, Facebook, and cell phone all merged into one gigantic contact list!  Just because I am friends with someone on Facebook does not mean I need to have their contact information stored on my phone.  I did find a way to hide contacts though, reducing the list a little bit. 

To conserve battery power, I set the screen to go into sleep mode after 1 minute.  I do find it somewhat annoying to have to hold down the power button to wake it up, then re-enter my password to get back to business.   Maybe I should eliminate the password…

I look forward to downloading and setting up music, as well as exploring more features of the phone. But I definitely don’t need this phone…I just like having it. 

My new toy

Sleep Positions

I love to sleep.  As adults, we should spend 7-9 hours daily sleeping.  During the school year I may be a little short on sleep, but on a day with no reason to set the alarm, I can and do sleep like a teenager.  Ten to twelve hours is typical for a weekend day for me.  Some of my friends are jealous because I can still sleep like that at ‘my age’. 

I know some people are of the mindset that sleeping is just wasted time when you can be doing something with your life.  I used to share that belief when I was in my 20s and 30s.  But now I realize that sleeping is part of life.  With it, the quality of your life and health will be better.  When I lie down to sleep at night, my whole body sighs.  I close my eyes and look forward to the hours ahead where I get to rest my muscles from the work of the day.  I try to rest my mind from the day’s stresses or worries, although they may rear themselves in my dreams.  I look forward to dreams, some of which I may be lucky enough to remember upon waking.  I love those crazy mixed up dreams that combine people of different time eras, places, and events.  It’s your own creative story that you authored.  Granted many times the dreams don’t have endings though.

There are many positions that people use when they sleep.  There are perhaps well-known facts about the positions and then superstitious generalizations about the people who sleep in each position.  Sleeping on your back is supposed to be the best for you.  It is said to prevent neck and back pain, minimizes wrinkles, and can also reduce acid reflux. On the other hand, snoring is usually the worst when sleeping on your back.   If you keep your arms down by your side, it is referred to as the soldier position. Soldiers are said to be quiet and reserved.  Avoiding a fuss, they set high standards for themselves and others.  If both arms are up around the pillow, that is called the starfish position. Avoiding being the center of attention, starfish sleepers are said to make good friends because they are good listeners and offer help when needed. 

Sleeping on your side with both arms out in front is yet another position.  This position is good for the same reasons as the back position, but also ideal for pregnant women. Pregnant woman are told to sleep on their left side for ideal blood flow.  The side position also reduces snoring.  However, the smushed face you get from side sleeping can cause more wrinkles.  Side sleepers are also referred to as yearners.  They can be suspicious and cynical.  They can be slow to make up their minds, but unwavering once they do.

A very popular sleeping position is the fetal position.  Coincidentally, it is good for pregnant women.  It is also good for reduced snoring. But other than that, it is not an ideal sleeping position. It is bad for your neck and back, can increase wrinkles, and you can feel it when you wake up if you have arthritic back or joints. Those who sleep in this position are said to be tough on the outside but sensitive at heart.  Initially shy, they warm up when meeting people.

Probably the worst position for neck, back, and wrinkles is to sleep on your stomach.  Also referred to as the freefaller, stomach sleeping makes it difficult to keep your spine in a neutral position.  It also puts more pressure on joints and muscles.  It is great for snorers though and also good for digestion. Freefallers are said to be social and bold, but don’t like criticism or extreme situations.

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Pillows are a great accessory for sleeping too.  There are long ones, flat or fluffy, and water-filled varieties.  You can use multiple pillows and strategically place them under and around body parts. They are an important part of a comfortable night's sleep.

Many people start in one position and change it throughout their night’s sleep.  I am one of them.  I almost always start out as a starfish, but then turn fetal.  I guess I can somewhat agree with the superstitious generalizations about me there.  Regardless which position you sleep in, your body does need an adequate amount of sleep to regenerate itself. 

What kind of sleeper are you?  Do the generalizations match your personality?

This position is not among the popular adult positions.  I don't even think it has a name...