"I'm excited to say that my grade level was the best performing in our entire school, and we improved in all areas. What does this mean though for me? Well, as an educator we are consistently working to find ways to improve student achievement. Though our schools were still not up to my personal standards of success, we did make progress. What most people do not understand about the CRCT is that in order to pass, a student only needs to answer 50% of the questions correct, or receive a score of 800. This means if a student receives a reading score of 802, they are able to move on to the next grade level, even though in reality they have failed! Astonishing I know! The expectations that are set are very low. Passing is not good enough. Our goal is to have 80% of our students 'exceed' in all areas. This is a lofty goal to say the least, but high expectations bring high reward.
At the same time, using only CRCT data to evaluate student and teacher performance is foolish. There are many different factors that play into the success, or lack thereof, in the classroom. These factors include state implemented programs, students with disabilities, loss of school days, etc. These also need to be taken into account when considering test scores. I am able to positively use CRCT data to drive my future instruction in the classroom. For instance, my lowest test scores were in science, I could not blame this on my students, but only myself. I had the least interest in science, and it was my first time ever teaching science, conceptually it was difficult for the students to grasp because so many of the test questions are about the application of knowledge, which is something that is difficult to teach. I am able to take this data and revamp my curriculum and lesson plans to gear towards application of the content that is learned. This then prepares me for my future students. On the flip side, I can look at my highest scores, social studies, and see what I did right and continuing what I was doing.
Despite the scandals and allegations, there are many hard working teachers in Atlanta Public Schools that are working hard to prepare their students for a positive future. We are using every avenue to accomplish our goals and continue student achievement in every area of education."
-Tiffany
