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bbpolitical
Forum Admin
265 Posts |
 Posted - 11/09/2007 : 7:05:41 PM
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I also have to add support for the teacher who posted earlier. My school (JE Burke HS in Dorchester) also suffers from a high number of failing and needs improvement students. We are in worse shape than Everett by a fair margin.
We do NOT read directions in other languages, except in the cases where students have ELL designations that call for it. As someone who has proctored these exams, including the retest for English taking place this past week, I have never witnessed or given directions in any language except for English. We have a large Cape Verdean population and over 20% of our students are English Language Learners. ESL is taught in our school for roughly 60 to 100 students. These students take the MCAS in a separate place as mandated by the state and may receive instructions in their own language. Students deemed proficient enough in English to attend mainstream classes may still use a Cape Verdean-English dictionary, but that is it as far as assistance. The MCAS environment in Everett, I am sure, is terrific and tests are held in a quiet room with optimal test taking conditions. There is too much oversight to do otherwise.
My belief is that the MCAS is a seriously flawed assessment tool that impedes the educational process everywhere. I take pride in the fact that my instruction resulted in an improvement in the Mathematics MCAS scores of my students by an average of 20 points as compared to their 8th grade assessment. Unfortunately, the powers that be do not judge teachers on individual students' improvement, instead basing judgement on high school 10th graders this year as compared to different 10th graders last year. Since my current group of 10th graders and 9th graders did even worse on the 8th grade MCAS (0 out of around 65 passed that one) and the standard needed to pass the MCAS has been raised from a 220 score to a 240 this year, the stress on my job has become even greater. The entire school system and government must take responsibility for this. The MCAS is an easy test, easier than the SAT by a considerable margin. But it is too long (taking 12 hours or more to complete) and very stressful. High stakes testing like this undermines the development of the individual as a learner, instead assigning a test score as a value system for a student. Hopefully, changes will come from the state before long to improve this assessment before students start failing to graduate because of Science and History as well as Math and English.
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michael
Senior Member
195 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2007 : 05:52:33 AM
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| does anyone know of the teacher that hung himself on wednesday my daughter came home very upset from school and he was suppose to be rehire and he wasn't he played randy jackson last year on their talent show american idle |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2007 : 07:03:33 AM
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HIs name was Mr. Kebreau. Many teachers are not hired back each year.
Sally |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2007 : 07:44:25 AM
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| This is, indeed, tragic. But . . . let's keep in mind that this gentleman is not a public figure, and he has a family. We should tread carefully with this discussion. |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2007 : 09:01:22 AM
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I agree, this is a private matter.
Sally |
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2007 MCAS Results
