The most dreaded part of my year... annual standardized testing! In California these is called STAR tests.. which includes Content Standards Tests (CST) CAPA (for low level SPED children) and now STS (standard exams in Spanish speaking students who have been in the country less than 12 months... guess state doesn't care about other languages???) Although I am never at a loss of words to complain about this process, I must admit it is better than when I first moved to the Sunshine State eight year ago when teachers literally lost two instructional months to testing.
After eight years and thirteen revisions to the schedule this year, my boss and I finally worked what I consider to be the best schedule ever! Students were to report to school ONLY when they were testing... to avoid the mass check out in the front office because our students each year would convince their parents that they couldn't sit in a room and watch a video/study for an hour. And... since children now rule to world, parents would take off work and check them out by the hundreds so they wouldn't get bored. Not a fun moment for the office staff!!!
To avoid overlapping the STAR exams with Advance Placement Exams (AP) and/or make ups for California High School Exit Exams (CAHSEE) we opted to test at the beginning of the testing window... which meant giving up half of my spring break to begin the set up which usually takes at least six full days in THE HOLE. On the east side of our Multipurpose Room lies a dusty, smelly old textbook room I have claimed to set up testing each year. Because I literally feel banished from civilization during testing, I have loving named it "THE HOLE."
I was joined by my precious secretary, Debbie and our incredible lead campus supervisor, Helen to prepare for the monster exam. About 2000 students are provided a separate grade-level exam booklets for English and (11th grade social studies) as well as separate booklets for both science and math end of course exams. The 10th grade World History exam is in a separate exam booklet as well. In my wisdom, I suggested to the math and English departments to give benchmark exams to 9th graders since they did not take exams in social science which also have to be sorted and placed in the bins.
Now if this isn't confusing enough, our school prides itself as being student-centered... meaning we do what is right for kids! So... we found that for some students, the traditional two semester Algebra and Geometry courses were too fast paced, so we broke down Algebra I to Algebra A, Algebra B, Algebra C and Geometry to Geometry A, Geometry B, Geometry C. This is good for kids... bad for Pam!! This means each child's math exam must each be verified one by one. For example: if a student is in 9th grade and enrolled in General Math, Consumer Math, Concepts of Algebra, Algebra A or Algebra B... they must take the General Math Exam. If a student is a 10th grader and is in any of the previously listed math courses they do not take a math exam... because even with a perfect score would be rated is "Far Below Basic" because they are below the grade level. If a student is enrolled in Geometry A or Geometry B they must take the Algebra I exam even though they are currently enrolled in a Geometry class because they have not reached the highest level of the course. Probability and Stats students do not take an exam, but AP Probability and Stats take a Summative Math exam. ANY WONDER I GO HOME WITH A HEADACHE?!!!
Now remember that during the six days of setting up these "blessed" testing bins (total of 88 bins) they are packed with all the materials needed, including answer documents, exams booklets for each subject (student names attached with stickers on the exams), Directions for Administration book, pencils, scratch paper, etc... This is quite a monumental task!!!
And the most frustrating part of this entire process is the questions that occur during testing. Now I realize I am not the most patient person on the planet, but I train proctors each period all day a few days before testing complete Power Point handouts as well as time for questions at the end. I am so Type A, I even make a "Potty Break" schedule so everyone will know when their breaks are scheduled and who will be providing them. I printed the phone number to the Teachers Lounge at the bottom so that any one needing an extra break could call and someone was assigned to the phone as well as potty breakers "on call" for such emergencies. Knowing questions would surely follow... each day I provide a "QUICK INSTRUCTIONS" complete with the page to start reading directions and what time to begin each exam. Some questions are so frustrating to me that this year I posted the TOP TEN STAR QUESTIONS OF 2009 on my Facebook page:
1. Where are my answer docs?
2. Which Science exam are we giving on Day 1?
3. Why don't I get an extra break because I have 10th graders w/extra exam?
4. Do I have to stay in the teachers lounge why I am "On Call"?
5. What is the phone # for the teacher's lounge?
6. What if I am running late and can't get through to the switchboard?
7. Where do I bubble the version # for the English exam?
8. What page are the questions on again?
9. I can't find the Directions for Admin in the student books
10. Can I change my break schedule 30 mins earlier so I can go get a swim in before the aquatics class meets???
ARGH!!! After answering all of these questions during training (except the last one... didn't think of that one) it goes without saying that I am NOT a nice person during the testing process!
STAR testing (AKA STAR WARS) went well this year... with the possible exceptions of the staff member who left the popcorn in the microwave too long and set off the fire alarm in the middle of the math exam, and the teacher who sent the one kid who had not finished to the office because she had not finished the exam when everyone else did early - had to call the state over that one!
Friday finally arrived and all I had to do is sort the makeup exams for the following week. The task began at 9:00 AM, I finally finished about 5:45 PM! (This was just in time to go supervise a volleyball game which began at 6:00 PM) I walked in the gym to make sure the campus supervisors had my cell number and walked to the next building where "THE HOLE" is located. I looked up at the mound of testing bins that needed to be inventoried for shipment, took a deep breath and thought... I am exhausted, but I can do this! About that time there was a BIG JERK!!! The bins swayed and rattled around me... IT WAS AN EARTHQUAKE!!! It was over as suddenly as it came... luckily nothing collapsed on my head. I sat down in the broken rolley chair I had claimed for THE HOLE and began laughing. What irony... so much of my life is consumed by TESTING, how strange would it have been if come Monday morning, Debbie had to dig my life-less body from under a mound of testing bins???? Lord help us! I can only begin to imagine my epithet now!!!
