Testings almost over. The little boy I'm testing is almost done. He was so concerned about finishing close to the time his classmates do because he missed a day from being ill.
It's a wonder I'm not ill. Hunnee came home all red in the face and stuffy-nosed. We went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants for home-type cooking. They have changed their menu, who is why I thought he was not eating well. But then, if one does not like breading, why order a chicken fried steak? There was so MUCH breading on it he forgot what type of meat was supposed to be in there.
I don't eat fried foods and he eats not very much of it--at least around me. But still, to my mind it was not a good idea to mix a cold with grease. It came with white gravy and he asked for more gravy on the side. the thought made me nauseous: grease on grease with a side of grease. Ew! He was not happy aboout it, too because he'd wanted the chicken and dumplings flavored grease, but they'd changed the menu since we'd been there last. So chicken fried grease it was.
Less than half-way through the meal he's REALLY not looking so good. His forearms are even red. I felt his forehead and he was quite warm--more so than usual when he tries to freeze me out of the house by turning the thermostat down to 65 winter or summer.
So he's sick in the usual way for a change. Then my DirecTV is out because of the storm we had last Thursday evening. My daughter and I can deal a few days without TV but Hunnee can't--and to have him trapped at home over the weekend with a bad cold--possibly the flu and no TV?!!!! Oh, no that would make the entire household miserable. So he's shipped off to Kenner to get better and get back in time for spring break. We're still being careful about my catching colds from him because of the chemo chemicals but I think they're gone if not almost.
Oh, I almost forgot why I started this entry. You know how it is in movies where someone goes back in time and tries not to meet him/herself because of the space/time continuum getting all screwed up or the world will come to an end. Well, something like that has happened just now. I collect articles about visual impairments--certain conditions in particular. I have them come to my school email so that I can share and post them. They come through Google Alerts. Anyway, it finally happened that I came through my own Google Alert in my own email box today. I wonder if I will go crazy or if the space/time continuum will be disrupted because of my doings!!! Maybe time will fold back on itself like a pair of run over loafers and we will be the toe cheese!!
I hope I don't catch something snotty and snEEzy in time for the holidays after being around the sick little boy and my sick husband. That's how it usually works for me.
Aw, yeah! I got that article from the Kenner-Picayune about Hunnee and grandson doing the lEAP workshop in preparation for state testing. A coworker had it laminated for me today at work. Grandson says he will not charge me for his autograph.
I'm outta here.
Showing posts with label testing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label testing. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
State Testing
We've been having state testing at our schools this week--beginning last Wednesday. Everyone is under stress when these things roll around. I used to test my three high school students each year. I'd make sure I had orange juice, fruit, toaster pastries and snacks.
This year, since I'm on an elementary campus, I volunteered to test one of the little boys in 4th grade. Fortunately, I had orange juice in a cooler. This child had the worse cold! I know that was affecting some of his answers. Yesterday he did not come to school. I was so concerned for him. There should be a space for teachers to note: "This child was ill on the day of this testing." or something like that.
It's a shame to stress these babies out with these tests. If the don't pass the test in grade four, they don't go to fifth grade or middle school. If they don't pass the eighth grade version, they don't go to high school. In high school they start taking them in tenth grade and they have until twelfth to complete them or they cannot graduate--which is what happened to two of my former students. The math section threw them for a loop! True, some kids fool around, like those two did, but others are just not test wise and have test stress even though you can see how well they do in class. So I have mixed feeling about such testing. Besides that, the information on them is so very cumulative. It may be more appropriate to have one test after a class rather than one test after years of cumulative information.
No one asks teachers but we have always said it makes more sense to do as we used to: have a test after a course. True competency education is about taking a pretest and a post test. A pretest determines what needs to be taught or learned in a class. Say, for instance, if you're really good in algebra and you are required to take an algebra 1 course. You would be administered a test with all you need to know in Algebra 1. If you pass the test, you receive credit for Algebra 1 and you enroll in a class that you need other than Algebra 1. On the other hand, if you do not pass the pretest, then the instructor will have some idea what he/she needs to teach and you will know what you need to learn to pass the post test. THAT is true competency education--but no one asks us teachers; they only complain about us.
Last year, immediately after state testing, the high school kids who were in Algebra 1, had to take a field test on line for--guess what---Algebra 1. This is, supposedly, a precursor for administering pretests and post tests on a state basis, rather than a cumulative, multi-content area state standardized test on paper. Hmmm. Where have we heard that idea before? I'll bet some bureaucrat is taking credit for that idea.
My husband has been taking his grandson to Saturday classes for the state standardized test. he says they were in the Kenner section of the Picayune yesterday. I have yet to look for it on line since my power was off for a few hours last night after a thunder storm. Of course he's more concerned at the moment for the DirecTV dish that was blown off the side of the house.
This year, since I'm on an elementary campus, I volunteered to test one of the little boys in 4th grade. Fortunately, I had orange juice in a cooler. This child had the worse cold! I know that was affecting some of his answers. Yesterday he did not come to school. I was so concerned for him. There should be a space for teachers to note: "This child was ill on the day of this testing." or something like that.
It's a shame to stress these babies out with these tests. If the don't pass the test in grade four, they don't go to fifth grade or middle school. If they don't pass the eighth grade version, they don't go to high school. In high school they start taking them in tenth grade and they have until twelfth to complete them or they cannot graduate--which is what happened to two of my former students. The math section threw them for a loop! True, some kids fool around, like those two did, but others are just not test wise and have test stress even though you can see how well they do in class. So I have mixed feeling about such testing. Besides that, the information on them is so very cumulative. It may be more appropriate to have one test after a class rather than one test after years of cumulative information.
No one asks teachers but we have always said it makes more sense to do as we used to: have a test after a course. True competency education is about taking a pretest and a post test. A pretest determines what needs to be taught or learned in a class. Say, for instance, if you're really good in algebra and you are required to take an algebra 1 course. You would be administered a test with all you need to know in Algebra 1. If you pass the test, you receive credit for Algebra 1 and you enroll in a class that you need other than Algebra 1. On the other hand, if you do not pass the pretest, then the instructor will have some idea what he/she needs to teach and you will know what you need to learn to pass the post test. THAT is true competency education--but no one asks us teachers; they only complain about us.
Last year, immediately after state testing, the high school kids who were in Algebra 1, had to take a field test on line for--guess what---Algebra 1. This is, supposedly, a precursor for administering pretests and post tests on a state basis, rather than a cumulative, multi-content area state standardized test on paper. Hmmm. Where have we heard that idea before? I'll bet some bureaucrat is taking credit for that idea.
My husband has been taking his grandson to Saturday classes for the state standardized test. he says they were in the Kenner section of the Picayune yesterday. I have yet to look for it on line since my power was off for a few hours last night after a thunder storm. Of course he's more concerned at the moment for the DirecTV dish that was blown off the side of the house.
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