More Testing

We just spent 2 days testing 9th & 11th graders. This was our annual NCLB extravaganza. The students I proctored actually worked on the test. Unfortunately, attendance was abyssmal. This means we'll be pulling students out of class to do what they should have done this week. I told my 11th graders that the only way to avoid this round of testing was to drop out of school. I have some of the no-shows from the group I proctored. They'll learn I was honest with them.

I doubt we'll make AYP. Again. We won't make AYP until we do something about our attendance problem. We have an attendance policy, but enforcement breaks down. The kids know there's no real consequences to ditching, so they go for it. So to get 95% attendance for the SBA testing, they have to drag in kids who haven't been in class a full month this year. To expect them to be able to post a score that will register anywhere is just silly.

Back to teaching tomorrow. March is a wasted month. With testing, holidays, spring break, and our lovely flex schedule, we only have 12 real days of instruction this month. But I'm still trying to teach my 12 grade Economics students how to survive on their own and my 11th grade US History students why the Germans followed Hitler.