Increase Your School's Test Score-Ethically

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Data, Data, Data! Educators collect data daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly. As English teachers, we administer both formative and summative assessments throughout the year. The results of these assessments are then gathered, and analyzed in combination with the state mandated standardized test, finally giving us data that is vital to the building of curriculum and units used in the classroom. At Washington-Marion Magnet High School, where I currently teach, the data is an important factor in developing student schedules and in several ways other, depending on the grade level of the student. Students RTI classroom and other intervention programs are assigned based upon these test results. Students are enrolled in English III, American Literature, are required by the state of …show more content…
In the article “Increase Your School’s Test Score- Ethically”, the authors lay out a plan of action that should take place to assure student success. The article notes, “The first step (in creating a plan) was to articulate the curriculum and align it with the state proficiencies and the test content. (Gilman & Lanman-Givens, 2001) This part of the plan to make students more successful is key factor. Students required taking standardized test on all levels of school. A group of educators creates these state mandated tests, but do not always reflect what the curriculum requires teachers to teach on day-to-day bases. The students are required to perform well on test, that they may not be properly prepared for based upon day-to-day instruction. Curriculum should be created that reflects the needs of the students based upon the data obtained during assessments. I do not advocate to “teaching to the test,” but I do believe that if we are going to base student success and growth on the test results, we must assure that the students have the proper instruction, that is necessary to achieve passing

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