TN Parents invite all lawmakers, those involved in making public school policy, and all supporters of public education to participate in the TCAP testing season by volunteering as testing proctors at their local schools.
You should participate in the education laws and policies put in place for the public school students in the state of Tennessee. TN Parents feel being in a classroom during testing can help you better understand how testing takes place and how children participate in the process. Come see your laws in action.
Right now your local schools are looking for TCAP proctors. Many parent and community volunteers are needed for our schools during TCAP assessments which will take place this week. During this time proctors are needed to help teachers monitor student test taking during the day. As a TCAP volunteer you will be asked to watch the children while they are being tested. A classroom teacher will also be in the room.
Volunteers will be asked to be available for monitoring over a 2 1/2 hour period which will include a required power point online training prior to the testing. Monitors are asked to be there when the schools open. The opening time for each school varies. Please feel free to volunteer for one day or several days. Your commitment and support is greatly appreciated! This week is what is known as crunch time for teachers and students. After at least a month of test prep, and an entire school year of practice tests, it is time for students to take the real test.
We would appreciate your participation.
You should participate in the education laws and policies put in place for the public school students in the state of Tennessee. TN Parents feel being in a classroom during testing can help you better understand how testing takes place and how children participate in the process. Come see your laws in action.
Right now your local schools are looking for TCAP proctors. Many parent and community volunteers are needed for our schools during TCAP assessments which will take place this week. During this time proctors are needed to help teachers monitor student test taking during the day. As a TCAP volunteer you will be asked to watch the children while they are being tested. A classroom teacher will also be in the room.
Volunteers will be asked to be available for monitoring over a 2 1/2 hour period which will include a required power point online training prior to the testing. Monitors are asked to be there when the schools open. The opening time for each school varies. Please feel free to volunteer for one day or several days. Your commitment and support is greatly appreciated! This week is what is known as crunch time for teachers and students. After at least a month of test prep, and an entire school year of practice tests, it is time for students to take the real test.
We would appreciate your participation.
Words from a Metro Nashville School Mom who volunteers in her children's schools:
I just proctored an English-Language Arts TCAP test for some special education, middle school students. A teacher read the test to the children. The test was almost 3 1/2 hours long--with a short 10 minute break. I saw children who were panicked, confused, detached, exhausted, and disheartened. I can guarantee that these children were not able to demonstrate their knowledge on this test. Those who support the use of TCAP to assess student learning and teacher effectiveness are either unaware or lacking in human emotion. There is nothing I can do to change those who lack empathy. But I can work on changing the opinions of those who are naive. I am Facebook friends with several elected officials. I want to ask each of you to go to one of your neighborhood schools tomorrow or Thursday and proctor the TCAP for special education or EL students. Please take a bit of your time to witness what our state is inflicting on our most vulnerable children.
Actual image from TCAP proctor training:
One teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect her job, wrote this on a state survey and posted it to a closed website of teachers. With her permission, we are sharing it with our readers because this message needs to be heard:
Standardized testing prep has monopolized the majority of my classroom instructional time.This has not just been in the past couple of months. This is since August. Whether it be Discovery Assessments or state end of the year testing, we are constantly looking at some sort of test data, preparing for the next test, or actually taking the test. The students are over tested and by the time the "real" state test comes they are simply too tired, they don't care anymore, or they're too terrified to perform.
We as educators are cramming information into our students' little heads because test scores are our livelihood and now will be our PAYCHECK. Teachers are beginning not to care whether or not the children retain the information, as long as they know it for the test. This is not what school is. This is not what learning is supposed to be. We have lost our way in education and we are not performing with the rest of the world. However, if you look at the rest of the world in comparison with what we are doing; they are POLAR OPPOSITE. The over-testing has got to stop.
Come to a school and ask students the last time they had recess, painted a picture, made a sculpture, created a diorama, did a silly dance, or giggled with their friends while socializing in the cafeteria. Our children are growing up to become violent criminals who don't care about society or its consequences. Perhaps if we transform school back to what it used to be (a caring, loving environment that encourages students to dream and think and love school), these kids will think before they act. They will have learned something from their teachers other than how to bubble in an answer choice and use process of elimination. Please, help! It's not too late to fix this. Thank you.
Why TN Parents think it is important that you Proctor:
Desperate for higher scores, some schools are offering bribes for students to do well on the TCAP... The top scoring students can win bicycles, DVD players, ipods, ice cream, and fast food lunches. At least one school in TN is giving away $200 cash to the top score in the school. A charter school in the state even shames students by making them wear different colored shirts based on their test scores.
This is sad. This is wrong. Please, stop this testing insanity!
Desperate for higher scores, some schools are offering bribes for students to do well on the TCAP... The top scoring students can win bicycles, DVD players, ipods, ice cream, and fast food lunches. At least one school in TN is giving away $200 cash to the top score in the school. A charter school in the state even shames students by making them wear different colored shirts based on their test scores.
This is sad. This is wrong. Please, stop this testing insanity!
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