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Teaching to
the test is a frequently heard term among educators
in the current test-driven culture. Standardized
tests have become a driving force behind what and
how teachers teach. What if teaching to the
test did not mean teaching to simply raise
scores but teaching the knowledge and skills that
the test sought to measure? What if students could
apply this learning after the test was over? In
my classroom I researched whether a test prep curriculum
could have value for my students beyond taking the
test.
Background and Questions
I teach in an urban elementary school which has
historically done well in standardized tests but
had seen a drop of about !0% in last year’s scores.
Of particular concern was the fourth grade English
Language Arts test, a three day examination which
consists of multiple choice questions, written short
answers, and essays. There was considerable pressure
on both the administration and teaching staff to
do everything in their power to raise these scores.
Therefore, last June my principal asked the upper
grade reading teacher to design a test preparation
curriculum for each grade level from three through
six that focused on twelve comprehension strategies.
The fourth grade curriculum would be taught by two
to three teachers in each classroom for one hour
daily from September to January (the month in which
the test was administered). This curriculum required
an investment of 25% of the classroom instructional
time. I would be part of the teaching team in one
of the fourth grade classrooms, but I would not
teach students I normally work with..
I am a teacher of Special Education Teacher Support
Services (SETSS), formerly known as a resource room
teacher. As part of my assignment, I teach a group
of four fourth graders and one third grader for
45 minutes a day in my own classroom. My students
have been diagnosed as learning disabled and have
all repeated one grade. I have worked with these
students for two to three years previously which
has given me the opportunity to understand the way
they learn. I have always been given the freedom
to design my instruction to meet their needs and
interests.
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