Assessment and Accountability

Topic: How does this teacher manage assessment?

As I have stated, the classroom that I did my field work in was a contained classroom.  Although the students in this class are very smart they struggle with everyday classroom activities.  Due to their behavior in a main stream classroom they have been put into this contained classroom where they can get the kind of one-on-one help they need to succeed.  "Mrs. Kay" has done an excellent job of creating a classroom environment and schedule that keeps her students on task and proficient.  What does all this have to do with assessment?  Because of the situation I have described above you can see where it might be difficult to assess these students.  While I spent a great deal of time in "Mrs. Kay's" classroom I only ever saw her give a weekly spelling test to each student.

The time I did spend in "Mrs. Kay's" class was the last few weeks of school, which you already know is crunch time for standardized testing within the school district and state.  Although "Mrs. Kay" may find it easier to give less tests on her own time and in her own classroom, she has no choice but to give each student the standardize tests required by the state.  However, I thought she managed this very well, she changed up the daily routine of her classroom, which some students had a hard time adjusting to, while individually taking one student a day out of class for most of the morning and sometimes into the afternoon to test with her.  After reading about the No Child Left Behind Act, I can see how valuable these standardized tests are even for special education students. As a parent I can see that in this case you would want to know that your child is getting the very best education they can and if they are not you would have the option to move them to another public school.