I'm curious to know how much time state standardized test take in your states and
how disruptive they are.
This is prompted by one of the worst days I can remember since I started this job.
In retrospect it probably won't sound so bad but coming after a drama performance,
a career fair which I was co chair of and 34 scholarship applications that I was to
evaluate during the week today was just the last straw. Michigan's state test is
called the MEAP High school tests over the course of two weeks with tests scheduled
in two hour sessions ( at our school) running on a every other day schedule. We
might just as well close up for those hours because-- all juniors must take the
test unless they opted to take it as sophomore and passed it ( so they are eligilbe
for state scholarship and to co enroll in a local college) In addition any senior
who hasn't passed can/must retake it. So this means any class which is basically an
eleventh grade class doesn't do anything for the better part of two weeks and many
classes with sophomores and seniors taking the test are also disrupted. In addi!
tion a
place has to be found for the juniors who already took the test and the vocational
students who don't go to the tech center and have a "free period after the test and
before they return to their regular schedule. Can you guess where they go? Yep LMC
along with one to three classes which have been displaced from their rooms because
they are being used for testing-- and the occassional class that actually planned
to use the MC.
This morning we had three classes. One teacher had a lesson plan, one chose to go
in the lab ( i don't know what they did in there) but the other class and the non
test takers etc. had nothing to do. I rolled with the punches pretty well until I
saw kids playing cards. Told them that was not acceptable behavior in the MC and
they needed to find something else to do. Then had a kid come in with a pass to do
research. His friend pointed out that he wasn't working and needed to get busy or
he wouldn't graduate. My aide talked to him, he really didn't care even though his
friends kept telling him to knock it off and get to work. Finally was told to go to
SRC and refused and eventually the AP got involved.
Then just before lunch there was announcement that anyone who wanted to stay for
the SADD assembly instead of going to VoTech could do so by signing up in the
office and reporting to the MC for the afternoon. Thirty one kids decided to stay.
They were very ticked that they were expected to stay in the media center and that
I would only let one bathroom trip happen at a time. It took several of them 40
minutes to return from lunch ( where were you? in the bathroom. For a half hour? I
was in the bathroom) The grumbling-- this is like we are being babysat ( my reply ,
yes you are!) To make matters worse the assembly was held fifth hour and lasted
about 25 minute so back to the MC the kids go-- not counting the ones who
disapppeared for the rest of fifth and all of sixth hour. I told them that they
could read mags, talk etc ( I even turned a blind eye to the card playing since
they weren't actually in a class) When I walked back to my office to grab a file
folder from my desk- t!
wo of
them " escaped " out the fire door.
It seemed that every kid I talked to today was snippy and unfriendly. This is so
unlike our student body. The AP said that he has been having that problem for the
last couple of weeks and he too said it's not like our kids to be this
disrespectful for the most part. So I am very glad it's Friday just a part of a
week of running semi- adult day care to go.
I am curious as to how testing is handled in other states and if you would let them
eat cake--er let them play cards under the circumstance ( I did make them put the
balloon away!
Darlene Yasick
Media Specialist
Hopkins (MI) High School
lib027yas@global.net
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