Saturday, November 1, 2008

Stress of the Test

I can't make this stuff up. This is a real story written by a real girl in my class. Here's a little context. Twice a year we are required to give every student a reading assessment. The assessment we use takes about 20 minutes per kid and determines their reading level. I plan very specifically to make this as low-stress of a situation as possible, while making sure they know how important it is to do their best. This speicific child has been having some struggles in reading and had not grown last year as expected. I told her mom she would likely need to be referred to our Title I reading assistance teachers to get some extra help. A few weeks after I gave her the assessment this story showed up in her Writer's Notebook:
"My Reading Assessment. My teacher gave me my reading assessment today. I was so nervous. When she came and called me out, I almost couldn't breath. We sat down at the table and my heart started pounding so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest. She told me to do my best, but I was so nervous! That night my teacher called my mom. Ring ring. 'Hello?' I said. It was MY TEACHER!! I couldn't believe she was calling at my house at night! When she asked to talk to my mom I couldn't even say anything. I was SPEECHLESS. Why was my teacher calling me at night? Except I knew why she was calling. She was going to talk to my mom about my reading assessment. I gave the phone to my mom. I held my breath the entire time she was on the phone. I thought I might pass out! My mom said my teacher said I did good on my assessment, but I was still going to be in Title I. Title I. I was scared. But I love my teacher and I know she'll help me learn and I'll be the best reader. The End." Is this the most authentic way to see what our kids know?? Made for a funny story though!

2 comments:

Renewed Spaces - virtual design plans and custom house design said...

Oh, I wish Mrs. Langston was my teacher. She sounds so nice!

Noah's Mommy said...

Wow, pretty amazing story. I love this blog!