On Monday my students in the 3 Advanced Placement classes sit for their AP exam. On Thursday the rest of my students (3 more classes) finish the original pass through the course material and they begin to review for the state test they must pass to graduate from high school. My AP students also have to sit for that test, but I have never had an AP student come close to not passing.
I have no choice. I have to devote several weeks to reviewing the material to get them ready for that test. And with my AP students I have to persuade them in about one week that they actually know enough and know how to approach the AP test that they need not panic. I am fortunate in that mine is always the morning of the first day of AP testing, so that I get a clear shot at preparing them.
Still this is what I confront - for the next few weeks there is little going on except reviewing and preparing for testing. And given that our students attend until June 17, we are then confronted with almost a full month when mentally they want to shut down, having completed their tests.
I don't object to tests in theory. It is not clear to me why the tests have to come so far before the end of the school year. And I certainly wish that there was not so much weight put upon the performance of such tests.
For both the state and AP tests we will spend time using released questions from previous tests as a way of familiarizing students with the construction of the test as well as means of reviewing the content.
And to keep sanity - both mine and theirs - it will not be ALL preparation for testing. Next Wednesday I will introduce them to their final project, which is the major grade for fourth quarter. They must do a certain amount of work, they cannot write an essay or do a research paper, and they must show me something they learned. Oh, and I tell them to have fun.
For many I get great creative outbursts - poems, raps, videos -- like this one, created 2 years ago by a student had just turned 16 when she created this by searching the internet for the images and editing. Students like this make teaching such a joy.
And we will try to talk about current events, and how what we have learned intersects with what is going on in the world.
Knowing this is coming, I can perhaps keep my own sanity.
But in the meantime??? Massive amounts of material to help them review and organize, practice to give them confidence.
And even when we move to those final projects, which can leave them with a positive sense about the class, it is almost in isolation from how the rest of the world will review their performance - all that seems to matter is how they do on these external tests, which control college credit and graduation from high school.
From my perspective I would prefer that assessment be embedded in instruction. I would prefer to see major projects developed over time in which students had to integrate and wrestle with the material they are supposed to learn, demonstrating that they have grasped and can apply the the knowledge and skill they have developed - perhaps in a fashion that is more attune to real-world tasks than bubbling in the best choice out of four (state test) or five (AP test - which at least is 1/2 "free response questions" which are not really essays, and if approached as essays actually hurt the score of the student - go figure).
New instruction is just about over. We have about 7 weeks of school left. We have tests. They also will have to do in-school final exams. As the only teacher of AP government, I control the exam for the 3 P classes, and it will be strictly essay, but it will be open book, wrestling with a choice of questions that will demonstrate application of knowledge. Not yet clear if I can still do that for my other students.
By now I know who knows what, can tell you in detail the strengths and weaknesses of all of my 180+ students. But now we pretend as if I didn't, place students in somewhat high stakes environments, and then giv e them another month of school. Go figure.
During the week of state testing there will be little instruction occurring in the school. Four days of testing that - including lunch - will consume 6 of our 8 periods. Many of my sophomores will test all four days.
Some of my AP students will sit for two such exams in one day. Or imagine they have an afternoon test - we expect them to report to morning classes first. Or if they have a morning test, they are not supposed to talk about the test even in the class for that test in the afternoon. They are worried about how they did and I cannot even debrief them.
I accept the need for some external validation. I only wish we had a better way.
And I wish they could get feedback on how they did without waiting several months. We have in the past gotten state test scores back in the fall. Now that there are only multiple choice items, perhaps we will get them back sooner, but it will still be during the summer, after they have left my care.
As for the AP tests? The Free response questions have to be read and graded according to a rubric. I will spend more than a week in early June in Daytona Beach doing that (in a fashion that ensures I will not see papers from my geographic region). It is perhaps an appropriate commentary on the process that my school does not have a problem providing sub coverage for the 7 days of classes that, with travel to and fro, I will miss. I will leave work on which students can work independently that will keep them occupied. They will be allowed to work on projects, and to explore some things in depth for which we did not have time in the mad rush to "cover" material before they sat for the tests.
Another year is coming to a close. Until I get to their final projects, this is the part of teaching I hate. I do it because I am required to, and because I want them to succeed.
Thank heaven I get to see what really engages them when I see those final projects.
Now if you will forgive me, I have to head to school. I owe my students the best help I can give them. I can only hope it is enough.
Peace.