Standard Test Preparations
Hello Parents and Guardians!
This week, we would like to take a dedicated look at standardized testing within our school and our way of combating the system of teaching to a test. In the past few years as a teacher, I have seen countless students become discouraged with the educational system that has taught them the only value they have is in a score from a piece of paper. Admittedly, even I have found myself depressed with the way the educational system is being run. Fortunately, Bayside Elementary School understands that these standardized tests hold importance for the school itself, but the lives of their students are more important than just a good score. Instead, we have decided to come together as a community to teach our students more than just memorizing solutions in order to pass the required tests.
In recent years since we have taken this approach, we have noticed that our students are still scoring extremely well on these tests, which is a great thing. They are also exhibiting signs of better mental health and a generally greater love for learning. How have we managed to accomplish this? One of the biggest changes we made was to teach students how the problems work, not just how to solve them. We also have chosen to focus on problems that the students are interested in. Rather than just talking at our students, we want them to be engaged at every given moment. This means keeping them engaged throughout the entire lesson with fun, but thought-provoking, lessons.
We have also worked together as a school to make sure that every student and their families feel included. This enables us to instill a positive outlook on education in our students. We realize that these efforts have not gone unnoticed and would like to thank you, the families, for being such a wonderful part of your students' education. As a teacher, it warms my heart to be in such an open community where students can learn the value of helping one another. We have opened our doors to numerous community-centered activities and with your involvement, we have noticed an improvement within not only our school, but the area surrounding it as well. We would like to once again thank you for taking part in events such as our after school science fair in which students and families could physically interact with the science of the world around them and also events strictly for adults such as life skills classes.
Together, we aim to teach our students all of the important skills needed for a successful future rather than just how to take a test. This has been possible thanks to your time and dedication to helping us reach this goal. As the testing season approaches, we would like to remind families to take extra time with your students to ensure they are as confident in their ability to do well on these tests as we are.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to Ms. Blevins at cjh18@bes.edu
This week, we would like to take a dedicated look at standardized testing within our school and our way of combating the system of teaching to a test. In the past few years as a teacher, I have seen countless students become discouraged with the educational system that has taught them the only value they have is in a score from a piece of paper. Admittedly, even I have found myself depressed with the way the educational system is being run. Fortunately, Bayside Elementary School understands that these standardized tests hold importance for the school itself, but the lives of their students are more important than just a good score. Instead, we have decided to come together as a community to teach our students more than just memorizing solutions in order to pass the required tests.
In recent years since we have taken this approach, we have noticed that our students are still scoring extremely well on these tests, which is a great thing. They are also exhibiting signs of better mental health and a generally greater love for learning. How have we managed to accomplish this? One of the biggest changes we made was to teach students how the problems work, not just how to solve them. We also have chosen to focus on problems that the students are interested in. Rather than just talking at our students, we want them to be engaged at every given moment. This means keeping them engaged throughout the entire lesson with fun, but thought-provoking, lessons.
We have also worked together as a school to make sure that every student and their families feel included. This enables us to instill a positive outlook on education in our students. We realize that these efforts have not gone unnoticed and would like to thank you, the families, for being such a wonderful part of your students' education. As a teacher, it warms my heart to be in such an open community where students can learn the value of helping one another. We have opened our doors to numerous community-centered activities and with your involvement, we have noticed an improvement within not only our school, but the area surrounding it as well. We would like to once again thank you for taking part in events such as our after school science fair in which students and families could physically interact with the science of the world around them and also events strictly for adults such as life skills classes.
Together, we aim to teach our students all of the important skills needed for a successful future rather than just how to take a test. This has been possible thanks to your time and dedication to helping us reach this goal. As the testing season approaches, we would like to remind families to take extra time with your students to ensure they are as confident in their ability to do well on these tests as we are.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to Ms. Blevins at cjh18@bes.edu
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