Conventional Schools & Their Contexts: Ted Dintersmith observes, “Some encourage their schools to innovate; others push for better numbers (e.g. test scores, graduation rates, attendance).” What is your school’s focus this year? Do you feel encouraged to innovate? Do you feel pressured for better numbers (e.g. enrollment, passing grades, test scores, graduation rates, attendance)?
How does your school’s focus and this encouragement or pressure affect what you do day-to-day in your own classroom?
How does your school’s focus and this encouragement or pressure affect what you do day-to-day in your own classroom?
In my school, test scores are encouraged. It seems to be the only measure of being a good teacher. I do think my building principal encourages relationships, but not really innovation. Test scores are the only real data that makes us accountable. In a small school when you are the only one that teaches 8-12 ELA, I welcome the opportunity for something measurable to let me know if I am covering the standards. It is the only apples to apples feedback. Until the standards change or the state level rewards innovative results/thinking -- I don't see me/other teachers in my school changing course. While I agree with finding more relevant curriculum and trying to use innovation to get kids to "buy in" to the curriculum, testing is still the goal for me. Hate to say it, but I do try to mix in interest and real world of work, etc, into my classroom, but commas and grammar are all over the test.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your school’s focus this year? Do you feel encouraged to innovate?
ReplyDeleteMy schools’ focus this year was to be consistent in classroom/routines and behavior management following Boy’s Town Skills. Last year and at the beginning of this year, we had our District Behavior Team at our school assisting us in establishing consistent procedures in behaviors. I do feel encouraged to innovate.
Do you feel pressured for better numbers (e.g. enrollment, passing grades, test scores, graduation rates, attendance)?
At times, I do feel pressured for better numbers when our students are taking the MAP reading fluency and MAP math test. With my students, I want to see growth from their last test.
How does your school’s focus and this encouragement or pressure affect what you do day-to-day in your own classroom? In our school announcements, we talk about doing your best and being the best version of yourself. This is very important when relaying this to students. At times, when us teachers are stressed about seeing scores improve, those stresses can be relayed to students and they can feel the same way.
I have experienced both. At the beginning of my teaching career, I worked at a school in Colorado that focused very heavily on innovative ways to teach about different cultures in our world. They still focused on numbers, test scores, attendance, graduation rates etc... but they made it a priority to teach about different cultural values, beliefs, traditions etc... When I moved to South Dakota, the school district directed many of their Inservice days on data retreats and how to improve our scores. We always have a data retreat at the very beginning of the school year, again in the middle of the school year and we are highly encouraged to prep the students as much as possible leading into the state testing window. During certain parts of the year, generally towards the end of each semester it feels like all we do is test, test and more test. Maps testing, NWEA testing, state testing, quarterly testing.... I know students get frustrated when they feel like all they do is test. I know teachers get frustrated too when they feel like they spend more time testing than teaching. This school year, we implemented a new ELA curriculum and during training it was talked about how we should teach it with fidelity. The first couple years getting to know the curriculum and teaching with fidelity leaves little time for innovative teaching. However, as a Special Education teacher I have to use innovation to address individual needs and learning styles. I try to do a balance of both innovative teaching and teaching the standards.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I think our school district is derived on test scores. We start every school year by having a data retreat and talking about grades 3-5 test scores. Teachers and administrators gather to talk about what other schools are doing to raise test scores and what we can do more of to accomplish higher scores. These retreats are not about how students learn, but more about how can we get them to perform. When the author was talking about the Eisenhower school in the book, it reminded me of my own district. I don’t think the soul purpose was always about test scores, but we live in a government and society that thrives off higher test scores in order to fund our school. I think a lot of the time, I try to find a balance in my own teaching about teaching towards the test and teaching students to learn. It is an ongoing battle in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn the school districts that I have been a part of, we were definitely pushed by test scores. We were constantly comparing data from test scores and discussing what needed to be done to get test scores up. There was little discussion about why students were not scoring better or ways to change their learning. We just wanted to get their scores up. A lot of the discussion in school districts is about funding. I understand we have certain limiatations becuase of funding. However, it all becomes very daunting to teachers and students when we will push them to perform to a certain standard. With all that being said, I have never been told, as a teacher, that I couldn't try something new. Most of the administration I have been under were also teachers at one point so they understand where I am coming from. I think administrators want teachers to try new things and push the boundaries on tradinational learning, but they also have a boss or a school board to report to who focuses on test scores.
ReplyDeleteOur school definitely pushes test scores, graduation rates, and attendance. We even have two people in the district whose job it is to focus on a push attendance with kids. I do believe that this really drives our instruction and teachers are not really allowed to have "fun" with the students until after April when state mandated testing is finished. I believe that this approach causes a lot of anxiety and apprehension- makes some students sick and, therefore, some missed days are a result of this approach.
ReplyDeleteOur school’s focus this year is heavily on data and test scores. In Early Childhood Special Education, I feel the pressure for my students to meet the same developmental milestones as their typically developing peers. Despite this, I continue to push back by keeping learning experience-based, centered on children’s interests, and often outdoors, where engagement and authentic learning are highest.
ReplyDeleteBecause my position is difficult to fill, I don’t get much pushback from administration, and seeing my students make meaningful progress reinforces that my approach is effective. This balance allows me to honor each child’s individual growth while still demonstrating measurable outcomes, giving administrators confidence in the strategies I use day-to-day.
Sadly our schools focus is on data and test scores. We do not give students a lot of chances to be innovative. It is sad that we are still teaching to the test. Students need the opportunity to be creative and think outside of the box. I would love to teach in a more innovative way but when you have administration worrying about the test scores and how we compare to other schools it is hard to do that. There is always pressure on teachers to have better scores. If feel that you are judged as a teacher if your students are not making adequate progress in the classroom. I am always trying to get through a lesson and I feel I have no time to make learning a fun experience for my students. I feel that schools are under a microscope with all the laws and regulations we have to adhere to.
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ReplyDeleteThis year, one of our school’s focuses has been on strengthening community and collaboration by building trust among staff, students, and families. After several years of significant change, stability and consistency have felt especially important. Within that focus, I do feel encouraged to innovate, particularly in how we support students’ mental health and through our School Counseling program. That encouragement creates space to try new approaches and think creatively about connecting students with the resources they need.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, there is always some pressure around numbers such as test scores, graduation rates, and attendance. In my role as a School Counselor, that pressure often shows up most clearly in conversations about graduation, attendance and/or student engagement. Much of our work involves identifying barriers, following up with students and families, and building systems that help students stay connected to school.
Day to day, this balance shapes my work by keeping the focus on the whole student. Within our counseling team, we prioritize encouragement, relationship building, and connecting students with social, emotional, academic, and career resources. By supporting students in these areas, we help create conditions that allow them to succeed both in school and beyond.
What is your school’s focus this year?
ReplyDeleteOur schools focus this year is passing grades and test scores. We implemented a new system this year calls the CAVS room which is a room students go to during their homeroom period if they are failing a class or have abundant missing assignments. It is designed for them to be closely monitored to work on that specific class and to get their grades up. We also look at a lot of data from fastbridge testing and smarter balance testing for our students.
As a special education teacher I don't feel a ton of pressure for my students to succeed in these areas because those tests are not designed to strengths. The students do try to avoid getting into the CAVS room because they want to be with their friends in homeroom.
Most of my students really dislike the state testing and I will have few every year who are "sick" on those days.
I feel that our schools focus is always on achieving well on standardized tests. I do feel the pressure to get my students prepared for 3rd grade where they are required to take the SBA, so it does make it harder to feel comfortable innovating. I do feel some pressure to show growth on the mid and end of year testing. If I do not have most students grow or at-grade-level, I feel that I did something wrong. It makes it harder to want to innovate, rather than just stick to the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteOur school's focus is on student learning. The teachers have the flexibility to be innovative. Hands-on lessons, critical thinking discussions, and STEM projects are all highly encouraged. Standardized test scores are important, but these scores do not dictate our teaching methods.
ReplyDeleteMy school pushes test scores, graduation rates, data, attendance, and standards. We are encouraged to build relationships and we do a little with innovation, like the Big Idea Competition but there are not many students doing this. Sometimes I feel like we are just trying to get kids to the finish line and graduate and then they are on their own.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your schools focus this year? Do you feel encouraged to innovate?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, this year I do not feel encouraged to innovate. I was on a committee at school (I took myself off of it not to long ago) that focused on literacy and it was heavy. I feel like the committee was going in the right direction, and still is, however, while I was on it, I felt pressured to do better in the classroom. I felt like I had to find ways to improve our reading data and then I became obsessed with it; that's all I could think about. After awhile, it took it's toll because improving our data seems like an impossible feat due to the students who need the interventions are hardly in the room when I do have the time to intervene. It definetly is a system issue and until that gets fixed, I will continue to do the best with what I have. As far as innovating goes, I find collaborating with my co-worker is the push I need to make this happen. We adopted CKLA four years ago, and the last two years we have come up with ways to make it exciting for both the students and ourselves. It is much more enjoyable this way! For example, we are about to start our American Revolution unit and we, the teachers, become the queens during this unit. We tax the students on various things and we host a tea party at the end of the unit. The students love it!!
” What is your school’s focus this year? Do you feel encouraged to innovate? Do you feel pressured for better numbers (e.g. enrollment, passing grades, test scores, graduation rates, attendance)?
ReplyDeleteHow does your school’s focus and this encouragement or pressure affect what you do day-to-day in your own classroom?
This is a tender spot for me. Our school's focus is keeping the students quiet. This - just after reading "Teach Like Finland" - frowns on our focus of keeping elementary students quiet. I feel the teachers are so stressed to maintain a "0" our of "5" in the halls when transitioning to other activities - it's terrible. Honestly, I feel it actually hinders progress and test scores. The students have only recess and lunch; approximately and hour a day to allow for unhindered talking or socializing. They are constantly being told to be quiet at all times. THESE ARE ELEMENTARY KIDS!!! An hour is not enough "let loose" time. Honestly, I allow - as a computer teacher that has all the students - to have some chat time AND they do chat in the halls in transition. I've been marked down in my eval for this and I don't care.
Out school's focus this year is the same as every year, focus on the students. It's always all about the students and it should be. Too often though it is not about the students, it is about budgets it is about fairness it is about who might be doing more work for the same pay. After that it is about test scores. It comes disguised as teaching the standards, which is not a bad thing, but as you are directed to teach every standard, it leaves little time to be innovative. At least it seems that way to me. There is quite a bit of freedom as to how these standards are taught, yes. It just seems to me that it takes a lot of time to try to teach every standard to every student, and that takes precedence over innovation. I am in a multi-age classroom where time is in short supply. Also, all of my
ReplyDeletestudents are EL students and struggle at varying degrees with the English language, which makes taking standardized tests even more difficult.