Miss Bennett in the Bay

These days, I feel more like the late DentArthurDent stuck in a Vogon Bureaucracy than a teacher who is attempting to subvert the Bureaucracy from within. Last week, we had M’s second SST, in which I had to go in and again explain that, despite my efforts at interventions, M still has made no progress. He’s still reading on the same DRA level- Kindergarten- that he was at the beginning of the year.  The ELD coach agrees that this student is a very serious case.  I knew going into this meeting that the ELD coach was of the same opinion I was- that M needs to be tested so we can figure out how to help him.  I also knew that somebody down at the district office had made some kind of sarcastic comment to our principal about how many referrals my school has had this year.  I figured this would mean that my principal would make sure I had done absolutely everything I could before looking at the data and realizing that there is something seriously amiss with a student who has literally mastered nothing all year.  Instead, I felt like the meeting suddenly became our principal vs. me and the ELD coach, with the 2 of us spending the hour justifying what most people see as blatantly obvious when they simply talk to my student.

Luckily, the SST team recommended M for testing.

Unluckily, there is a stupid rule about testing.  The psychologist is given a 60 day window to test students.  Since the principal dragged her feet in setting this up in the first place (remember, I filed the paperwork in October,) there are now less than 60 days until the end of the school year.  Which, the special ed teacher at my school assures me, means that there is basically no chance that M will be tested this year.

When I found that out, I felt utterly defeated.  At that moment, I came to the realization that my school’s administration is playing a game that I-and my students- cannot win.  With every passing day, the support I receive from my principal dwindles even more.  We, as second grade teachers, are now suddenly expected to go above and beyond what the kinder and first teachers have to do.  For example, many of the first grade students are behind (I don’t know why- probably lack of teacher support.)  The teachers wanted to retain some of those students.  In response, our principal sent out a passive-aggressive email that basically said we shouldn’t retain students and instead start interventions right away next year.  Which sends the message to me as a second grade teacher: “It doesn’t matter that the other 2 grades at our school didn’t do their job.  Since your students make our break our API, you will spend your entire life catching them up 2 grade levels.  But don’t ask me for any help on that one.”

I don’t really understand why the situation has deteriorated so quickly at my school.  But I do know that, for the good of the students, something has to change next year.  I might be able to make significant gains with my students in the short run.  But in the long run, it’s the culture of the school that shapes achievement.  And right now, the culture at my school is basically, “Let’s just look good in front of the district office.  It doesn’t matter how we’re really doing underneath.”  That change has to come from the top.  Here’s hoping they get it together.

All year long, my class has been about 10 percent under the Big Goal. They have made tremendous reading growth so far and I have no doubt they will meet their goals in that realm. But math continues to elude us.

After my round 3 meetings a few weeks ago, my Program Director pointed out that there are about 5 kids whose math averages are between 50-70%. (The ones between 70-80% are already in math intervention.) We talked for a while about what might be holding this group back, and came to the conclusion that the problem is really investment.

Now, I know all you TFA-ers out there know that investment is what TFA is all about. I also know that you know that constantly re-investing your class in everything you do is really difficult. At the beginning of the year, I spent a lot of time on investment, and my students really responded to it. Then, I got to a point in about November when I realized that the reason my average wasn’t quite there is because I sucked it up at lesson planning. Then, Jess and I started collaborating really effectively and became really good planners. Now, I have a focus group that is being held back because they don’t believe that they can achieve the way their peers can.

After that meeting, I revamped a lot of investment things in my class. I put up new tracking that showed progress towards the goal, not just mastery. I planned a super re-take day for all the math quizzes that my students need to re-take. And I gave my students capes to get them invested in CST prep.

This is not quite enough for that focus group. I had run out of creativity and I was at a loss.

But then, one of the focus students, S, asked to come in and retake his math quizzes on Friday after school. I was almost surprised when he said this, because he has never once asked if he could do such a thing. So, I sat with him in my classroom for over an hour on Friday afternoon while he retook 6- count them, 6- goal quizzes.

He mastered every single one of them. He got a 100% on 5 out of the 6, and a 94% on the last one. His overall math average went from a 54% to a 77%. That gain alone took my class average from a 71% to a 74%.

We were both ecstatic. I asked him if he would be embarrassed if I told his classmates about his progress.

S: Um, yeah.

Me: So you don’t want me to tell them?

S: Oh, no. I definitely want you to tell them.

I am hoping that highlighting S’s successes will help those other focus students believe that they can do the same. With his progress, I am starting to really believe that my students will meet their goal. Before, those 9 points seemed so out of reach. Now, 6 points doesn’t seem so bad. I’m going to spend time today making graphs to show how close we really are.

On the CST prep front, my students are making real progress towards honing their super power skills to defeat their arch-nemesis, the CST. I was thinking about the challenge of maintaining that “I can” attitude, so I wrote a poem for them to say. (WARNING: cheesiness imminent!)

Super Test Takers

I’m a Super Test Taker,

I always give my best.

I’m a Super Test Taker.

I am better than the rest.

I’ll come to school each day,

Nothing can stand in my way.

I’ll think about each problem,

Because I know I can solve them.

I’m a Super Test Taker,

I’ll give it my best.

I’m a Super Test Taker,

I WILL BEAT THAT TEST!

Second grade is not a happy place to be these days. Since my school is only a K-2 school, second graders are the only students at the school who will take the CST. Which means that our students will determine our API. Which means that our students are the only shot we have at ever getting to 800.

Now, let’s take a step back for a moment and consider the udder ridiculousness of this situation. Our students are 8. They have never taken a big standardized test before. They came to us on a late kindergarten level. A great majority of them are English learners- and my class’s CELDT average is only a 3. To have the entire fate of the school’s P.I. status resting on their shoulders is asinine.

But, of course, somebody down at the district office thought it was a brilliant idea to have 2 small schools in the same place instead of one big school. (Evidently the CST situation never crossed their minds.) So, now that the administrators have finally realized the reality of our situation, they are now jumping down our throats to get our students prepared for the CST. (more…)