Assessment

I'm getting a lot of mixed messages about my assessment from the school staff. I'm so confused and frustrated about what they're supposed to be assessed on and how often and how much. Here's a list of the messages I've received:

1. You need to have your kids write at least 4 research papers during the year. They'll be assessed on a district-crafted rubric.

2. Your kids have to take a multiple choice final exam for which you are held accountable.

3. Your kids have to take a multiple choice exam from the state, but it's new so there's no
blueprint and we have no idea what will be on it.

4. Your kids all have to pass the class.

5. Your kids need to be writing document based question short answer essays on each of 4
quarterly exams, the bulk of which are multiple choice.

6. Your kids need to be assessed every day on the material you teach.

7. Each of your units needs to have a non-multiple choice unit assessment--usually some sort of project.

8. By December, you need to have used 4 IB rubrics to assess your students on something.

Some of these can be combined. For example, I can use the IB rubrics to grade some of these mysterious unit assessments. But still....8 (or 7) different SUMMATIVE assessments? You've got to be kidding me. There's NO WAY I can adequately prepare my kids for all of those. Something is going to have to go by the wayside.

And honestly, I understand why teachers put off research and writing so much. No one comes to you from the district and asks you how your kids did on their research papers. No--they ask about the multiple choice assessments.

Yesterday, my principal came in and told me I was doing a good job. He outlined some positives he's seen in my classroom this year and gave me a couple of suggestions for moving my lowest students forward. I obviously don't suck at my job. But looking at this list of assessments and realizing there's no way I can do it all makes me think that I do.