Poll: Test prep! Too much? Too little?
This year, state-mandated standardized tests for students in grades 3-8 are being held later than customary -- in April and May rather than in January and March. When the testing schedule was announced last spring, some Insideschools.org readers worried that the later schedule would mean too much classroom time spent preparing for the high-stakes tests.
After all, results on the exams help determine the "grade" a school gets on its Progress Report and whether or not it will be labeled as a "failing school" or one "in need of improvement."
For students in transition from elementary to middle school, or from middle to high school, results on the exams can be a determining factor in where they are accepted!
Are teachers being pressured to"teach to the test"? Are they weaving test prep into classroom lessons or has test prep become the lesson?
We're wondering how your school has handled test prep this year. Too much? Too little? Just right? Take our poll at left and comment below.
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