How much data do we really need to inform our teaching? What data is good? What data is bad? Every day I use my students' performances to inform my teaching for the next day. However, it is getting to the point that I can't keep up with correcting papers because there are so many other data driven high stakes tests to give that interrupt my instruction. There is no such thing as uninterrupted instruction. Tomorrow, I am to give my students the second benchmark DIBELS of the year. I am ridiculously worried about their lack of performance to meet what DIBELS has stated is where they should be at this time of the year. In addition, I feel like I have to do running records on all the kids who will potentially score low on the DIBELS just to prove they are making progress. Even though I have not been with my students for the last two weeks, because they were on vacation.
Truthfully, my students look like they have been making progress in their reading as I meet with them and listen to them read and talk about their reading each day. We are getting to the point where we are testing when we could be using the time for more instruction.
Please, parents, start voting against all of this testing. It is taking away your child's opportunities to learn.
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