Student's Speech about EOI Testing

1. Introduction
1. “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.”
1. This is the problem with standardized testing in America, standard being the root word.
2. It expects me to have the same skill set as every other student, similar to the way this fish was expected to  be equally as adept at a monkey’s skill solely because they are both animals.
3. Standardized testing creates a one-size-fits-all complex that does not cater to individuals with unique strengths and weaknesses. Instead it demands a “manufactured student” because the most important information tends not to be what the test does measures, but rather what the test cannot.
2. In the early days of standardized testing, these assessments were a quick, quantifiable way to evaluate an insurgence of students that came about with the Industrial Revolution.
1. However, generations have changed, and likewise standardized testing has evolved to meet the modern curriculum and “demand” of advancing generations, yet these tests use the same, now antiquated platform for high stakes testing.
2. Using this outdated platform in major current-day decisions is unfair to students, teachers, and taxpayers
3. Therefore, I believe high stakes testing, specifically end of instruction tests, should be eliminated from all Oklahoma high schools.

1. Hurts Students
1. EOIs are supposed to have a positive outcome for students by verifying that they are receiving the quality education to which they are entitled, but is this the true effect that results from a high stakes test?
1. High stakes testing creates an undesirable and stressful environment, two conditions that can hinder the learning process.
2. Studies show that elementary students reported significantly higher levels of anxiety over No Child Left Behind (NCLB) assessments than  regular classroom tests incorporated into the curriculum (Segool et al).
2. After all, even a third grader can understand what unsatisfactory means about himself and other people’s perception toward him.
1. Society tells us these tests define who we are intellectually, and they become a sort of academic identity.
2. This leads students who score unsatisfactory into a cycle of academic mediocrity because they believe society when it says, “This number is the most to which you will ever equate. You are a failure,” and unfortunately this normally becomes a vast scene of wasted potential, yet one of the largest problems surrounding standardized testing is its inability to recognize a basic human trait called individuality because one size does not fit all in testing nor the classroom.

1. Degraded Education
1. The quality of education the youth is receiving has been degraded in response to standardized testing.
1. Educators get so wrapped up in the standards on the test that they forget to teach students the truly important skills like reasoning and innovation.
2. Furthermore, testing is not teaching, and completing test prep is not learning.
3. What happened to higher order thinking like analysis, synthesis, and true critical thinking.
4. Memorization and regurgitation is the lowest form of learning, yet it is what we use in preparation for the  EOI’s multiple choice format.
5. Moreover, real life is not as simple as selecting A, B, C, or D.
2. High stakes testing narrows the curriculum and attention of teachers.
1. They become so concerned with the outcome of these assessments that they tend to manufacture students rather than shape and cultivate their learning.
2. Additionally, students who are considered advanced or too behind to catch up receive less attention in the final stretch before testing, because teachers are too consumed trying to help students on the border of passing and failing.
3. EOIs are not benefiting the students; they are suffering from the repercussions.

1. Teacher Evaluations
1. However I am not here to place the blame on teachers the way EOIs do.
1. It is simply human nature to do everything possible to protect the security of one’s job, especially when the evaluation system is irrational.
2. The problem with using End of Instruction testing as a teacher assessment is they are based on students’ total learning experience and don’t take into account noncognitive factors that affect test performance.
3. Since we were in grade school, we have been told that education is like a pyramid.
4. All the skills that we learn build off of each other, so why does an algebra teacher take the fall for a student who never learned his time tables in third grade.
2. Noncognitive factors such as personal habits and values, dedication, perseverance, hunger and sleep also play a role in test results.
1. Teachers take the fall for a student who is constantly in ISD because he barely knows right from wrong.
2. Teachers take the fall for a student who could not concentrate during the test because he hasn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch.
3. Teachers take the fall for a student who can’t stay awake because he couldn’t find anywhere to sleep last night.
4. This is the type of accountability that is placed on teachers as a result of our culture of standardized testing; EOI test results are not an accurate teacher evaluation system; they are unfair to teachers and taxpayers.

1. Taxpayer and Education Companies
1. Did you know that public education is a $750 billion market
1. However, this seems to be the only market where the customers are not surveyed about their satisfaction toward the product.
2. Instead, decisions regarding public education and testing are made for us, and this goes back to the 1960’s and earlier.
2. Around the same time  as the Johnson administration's “War on Poverty”  began, the National Assessment of Education Progress was created, and schools began administering this assessment in 1969.
1. Later in 1983 a publication called “A Nation at Risk” said that standardized tests like these proved schools were failing, teachers were failing, students were failing.
2. What is the solution to a failing education system: new textbooks, workbooks, teacher training, resources, and of course more standardized testing.
3. Millions of taxpayer dollars have gone toward this education bureaucracy, and the only party who benefits from these tests and related academic purchases are for profit private education companies like Pearson and CTB/Mcgraw-Hill.
1. These companies aren’t based on long-term student success; there simply isn’t any money in that.
2. Moreover these companies are known for making time consuming and costly mistakes such as the server crash of 2013.
3. These EOIs are unfair to taxpayers; therefore I believe they should be removed from all Oklahoma schools.

1. Alternative
1. However, regardless of the way I feel, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that some form of a standardized test be administered to students of our age; therefore, I propose that we replace End of Instruction testing with the ACT.
1. Last year, the government spent nearly $7 million on the EOI.
2. If the EOI were replaced by the ACT, the state of Oklahoma would save $5,402,059 per year on testing, which means more money could go directly to the students instead of private education companies.
2. Furthermore, 73% of Oklahoma high school students took the ACT in 2013.
1. This makes using the ACT more efficient by eliminating the extraneous EOI test.
2. Also, the number of tests and amount of time spent testing would significantly decrease, therefore reducing student stress and creating a better learning environment.
3. Finally, student portfolios should be used for teacher assessments
1. because they will give a more accurate evaluation of an educator's teaching ability.
2. After all, test results cannot replace teacher expertise.

1. Counter Arguments
1. Despite the large number of benefits that would result from replacing EOIs with the ACT, some people still hold to this antiquated system of student examination,
1. one reason being the ACT measures college readiness, not high school-level proficiency.
2. However, how can a student pass a college entrance exam without adequate mastery of high school-level skills?
3. College readiness exams are made to measure high school skills.
2. Students also have reservations about the time constraints placed on the ACT.
1. I have personally taken the ACT, and I’m not going to say that it is easy.
2. Time management is one of the most important skills that we need to learn in high school to prepare us for college or our careers.

1. Conclusion
1. In conclusion, End of Instruction Tests provide inadequate information for student and teacher evaluation, and are unfair to taxpayers.
2. Ultimately, they are hurting the students and our education system.
3. EOIs should be eliminated in all Oklahoma schools.

Teacher Appreciation Week!

     This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Each day, I will blog about a teacher who made a difference in my life. The first teacher is my dad who was my high school principal and driver's ed. teacher. He taught thirty years in Oklahoma and fifteen years in Texas. Even though my dad made me sit on two books while driving in driver's ed. and scared off any possible boyfriends, he showed me and the other students in school a respectful, caring attitude and expected us to have high standards for ourselves. He was always there to help anyone who needed assistance  like taking students home, picking them up if they needed a ride to school, paying for groceries, or just listening to them. He went above and beyond the typical definition of a teacher, and students and teachers respected him. When there is something going on in Oklahoma education, I always call him for advice. Even though he is retired, he has enough teaching wisdom to share with people in education. Thanks, dad, for making an impact on my life and the lives of the students at Big Pasture Public School.

    The next teacher who made an impact on my life was my science teacher, James Keeter. Science was my favorite class in high school. It was hands-on with little lecture. I remember one time when we had to have an insect collection. We met at the school around 6:00 in the morning, and Mr. Keeter drove us out to Cache Creek north of Randlett. We sat around a camp fire, and he made us breakfast. After we ate, it was time to collect some insects. We were only there a couple of hours, but I have never forgotten it. Mr. Keeter taught like there was no box, always pushed us to do our best, and made us laugh. Thank you, Mr. Keeter, for your dedication as a teacher. Even though I became an English teacher, I love science because of you.

    A couple of my former students have made an impact on my teaching. They chose the teaching profession and ended up teaching at their alma mater. Heather Murr teaches Spanish I and uses a lot of creative ideas to help her students not only learn Spanish but also have an appreciation for the culture. Some of her creative ideas include requiring students to explain in Spanish how to make a food dish, using game stations that help students learn the language, and using any form of technology to help with delivering the curriculum. Amber Dewinter teaches Oklahoma History and coaches soccer. She is not afraid to try something and if it does not work, try something else. She even required her students to write a research paper, which was a perfect example of writing across the curriculum. Thanks to both of them for inspiring me to try new ideas and helping me get through another year of teaching.

What Tests Don't Measure

 The sign read "Not Your Ordinary Garage Sale," and what I witnessed yesterday cannot be measured by a test score.  A student who attends Cache High School planned, implemented, and carried out a garage sale to raise money for a charity. This charity helps children in other countries who need life-saving surgeries. She started planning in November, assigned everyone a job, and with the help of volunteers from the church, collected items for the sale. Other students from Cache were in charge of the games children would play while their parents shopped. The items in the sale were not marked; customers donated what they thought the items were worth. In six hours, a student with an idea helped raise $6,400.
  We need to take a step back and reflect on what students should know and what they can do with that knowledge. This project is college & career readiness in action, unlike sitting in front a computer screen taking a test. I saw work ethic, determination, and responsibility that cannot be measured by a test score. What I observed justifies the  path I want all my students to take next year; get up and do something with what they have learned.

Let's Stop Pretending!

Let's stop pretending!

    It's always been done that way!

An excuse used by some everyday

Get up and learn something new

to help students in your classroom.

Curriculum is going in the right direction.

Teaching 1800's style is a predilection.

Focus on the interests of students and don't forget

to connect to real-world concepts.

Tests are the only answers to show

what our students know.

Write, discuss, and read

show more growth than choosing A, B, C, or D. 

That every student fits in a perfect box.

They are individuals with different directions to walk.

Show them the paths that they can take

and the decisions they may have to make.

.

"1, 2, 3,   1,2,3, 3,   1,2,3,   1,2,3,3,"

Let's stop pretending!

"The Haters are Just Going to Hate, Hate, Hate!"

In Taylor Swift's song, "Shake It Off!," She sings, "The Haters are going to hate, hate, hate!" Well, they sure don't let a week go by without hating on teachers or education in Oklahoma so that they can push their agendas. Here's a sampling of comments from this week.

 1.  Teachers get paid enough money because they only work 9 months. My salary has been  stagnate for almost ten years. In those ten years, I received two Master's Degrees; salary basically the same. I want to work on a Doctoral Degree in Curriculum, but I don't want the debt. My son is a senior next year, and his college education comes first. Teaching is a 24/7, 12 month career. I spend my weekends and the summers either working on new ideas for  curriculum, collaborating with colleagues, going to conferences, and reading books about new ideas. I even wrote a book called The Pass Survival Guide, and I just finished a book  called The Ye Olde Literary Shoppe's Grammar and Writing Guide that I will use in my classes  next year. By the way, you can access this book for free on iTunes.  Also,  teachers in other states have summer breaks and get paid more money, so a    comparison to other states does not make sense.

 2. Using the ACT for testing would cause curriculum to be less rigorous than the EOI tests.  I was appalled at this suggestion that the ACT preparation would cause curriculum to be less rigorous. The ACT score is what colleges look at when evaluating a future student. I have a student who is writing her persuasive essay in favor of replacing the EOI tests with  the ACT test. I showed her this article from The Daily Oklahoman that implied that the ACT would not be good enough because other states do not use it.  Why do we always play follow the leader? We need to the be the leader in education and teach like there is no box that a student should fit. The ACT means more to students than the EOI; they understand why that test is needed in high school. The reading and English sections are upper level and have more rigor. What's the problem? The EOI tests are not used to show what students  know; they are used to punish schools and teachers. There has to be way to keep teachers
in their place. That's the real problem. At the high school level, it's time to start mirroring college courses; start by using the ACT. Instead of looking at what has more rigor, we need to look at what has more value.

"The Haters are just going to hate, hate, hate! But just "Shake It Off!"

       

Another Brick in the Wall

     "We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control" are some lyrics from Pink Floyd's song, "Another Brick in the Wall." Every negative comment about education is just another brick in the wall. It's time to tear down this wall and design a different plan for schools. If I was Queen for a day, I would relate curriculum to the interests of the students, show teachers that they are appreciated, and get rid of testing in favor of portfolios.
      The first brick that needs to be removed is the outdated curriculum. I have said this idea many times and still believe that relating curriculum to the interests or career choices of students is necessary, especially at the high school level. We have students who attend college or career tech while still in high school. We have students who work jobs after school or on the weekends. Why are these opportunities overlooked in the high school classes?  Students need to see the connection between what they are learning and how they will use it in the "real-world." One of my blogs called "Acting It Out" discusses how to design an English class for students who like drama and speech. This idea would work for other career choices or interests. I remember an English teacher at my school who required seniors to plan a career path and write every kind of essay about this career path. This idea would work today. We need to show students what they have to learn and ask them, "How are you going to learn it?"
      The second brick that should be removed is the disrespect that is shown towards teachers and public schools. With all the negative comments in the news about education, it doesn't surprise me why we have a teacher shortage. Celebrate successes, celebrate innovations, or celebrate the creativity that teachers show. For every negative story, there should be 100 positive stories reported in the news. In 1987, my dad, who taught for 45 years, told me not to become a teacher. I think he felt the same way that some teachers feel today, a lot of work and dedication but little appreciation.
     The last brick that should be obliterated is using just a test to show the growth of students. A test only gives a brief look at what has been learned, not the complete picture that a portfolio would show.  A grade-level portfolio would show what students have achieved in all classes, a class portfolio would show the growth of students in that particular class, and a school portfolio would document that growth of students from 9th grade to 12th grade.  The portfolios would show examples of PBL, some test scores, and reflections written by students.
       Instead of adding another brick to the wall, it's time to tear it down one brick at a time.

Acting It Out!

     When I first started my teaching career, my classes were dictated by the textbook and worksheets. The same ways that I was taught in high school. I noticed as the years went by that the textbooks offered by the textbook companies became overloaded with too many activities, pages, and graphics. When I worked on my Master's Degree in Reading, I began the process of analyzing curriculum and designing curriculum that fit the standards. However, students have more opportunities now as they enter high school: college courses, classes at career tech, or graduating early.  What if curriculum was designed to emphasize the interests and career choices of the students? The curriculum would emphasize reading, writing, listening, speaking, and vocabulary skills. Here are some ideas for integrating drama into the English curriculum.
      I know that some students like to create their own drama for other people, but this curriculum is for the students who like to act on stage.  For reading skills, the students would act out different kinds of plays, read nonfiction like reviews or topics relating to the plays, act out poetry, and read fiction that connect to literary themes. Also, the students would write essays such as expository, narrative, persuasive, argumentative, literary analysis, and reflective, poetry, tweets,  blogs, and research papers.  All of the writing assignments must follow the stages of the writing process. Of course, academic vocabulary and new vocabulary acquisition would be included.
      Students love to talk, but sometimes, they have selective hearing. Listening and speaking skills are essential for the real-world. Acting out the plays, giving speeches, and having Socratic discussions fit speaking skills. Have students listen to college speakers or someone who performs at a local theater. Have them critique a performance and then discuss their opinions about it. If they discuss about it, they can write about it. Every skill is connected.
      Now, I know that some people would question how this idea connects to the real-world. Some career choices include becoming a teacher, author, actor, reporter, director, makeup artist, costume designer, or set designer. The options are endless, and there are scholarships that students could earn. Also, the class would culminate into a project where the students write their own play and perform it in front of an audience. They could also make videos and apps for plays.
      I hope that I can try these ideas before retirement. These ideas would help bring relevancy to the curriculum and prepare the students for possible career choices.