(Written Thursday, May 5, 2011)
We’re in the final days of preparation for the California Standards Test next week. The four of us who teach the 7th grade boys developed a plan for addressing the academic and affective aspects of testing. We’ve all been practicing the type of questions they will get on the tests and also giving out tips for the test such as “Get a good night’s sleep” and “Read the questions first and then the selection.”
It’s clear that the boys’ attitude is at least as important as these practical tips. Confidence in your own intellectual capacity and the desire to do well are crucial factors in any testing situation. Recognizing this I have devoted more time this week to addressing the confidence and desire of the students.
The students have all written an essay on how they will improve their performance on the test. Then they put this essay into a word document on the laptops. I have printed them out and will share them with the other teachers on the 7th grade boys team.
Each of us will also have students write letters of advice and encouragement to one of their classmates. These letters will be delivered right before the test. We will also write brief notes of encouragement to each student in our advisory class.
So what am I thinking about the whole CST thing? The process of building up to an important challenge for the students has value, of course. Creating a feeling of teamwork and shared effort is good for emotional and intellectual development.
On the other hand, the test itself is such a pale shadow of what’s really going on in their emotional and intellectual development that it almost seems anticlimactic after all the buildup.
Anyway, we’ll see next week how it all goes. More later.
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