State Reading Summative Benchmark Panic: Why panic if we do formative assessment all year?

Whenever I talk to elementary and middle school teachers, I hear wait until the state ELA is over. Teachers are preparing students like crazy. Panic is felt in the elementary and middle schools.

Why?

The panic tells me that teachers are not fomative in their usual classroom reading activities and assessment. If they were assessing students all year on the required reading skills from the state assessment, they would not have to prepare students at the last minute. If the teachers had montored and adjusted instruction during the year, then their students would be prepared. Yes, teachers do need to give students the testing taking strategies for this particular assessment but that will only take a few minutes.

Avoid panic and incorporate formative assessments during the year. These assessments will mirror the state assessments. Incorporate learning peace into your classroom instead of panic.

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Education with Technology

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World Language Students Use of Mobile Devices in the Classroom October 5, 2015

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English +Common Core +Mobile = Success (ISTE2014 Poster -details) June 30, 2014

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Global Cultural Learning Using Mobile Devices (ISTE Mobile MegaShare Presentation) June 28, 2014

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English + Common Core + Mobile = Success in Learning Poster Session at ISTE 2014 June 25, 2014

In my ISTE Sunday 8-10 am poster session, I demonstrate many diverse mobile activities to help students achieve the English Language Arts Common Core Anchor Statements through mobile devices. The mobile activities focus on free common tool apps that are available on both the Android and the iPad. The students use the apps as a seamless […]

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Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle