Test practice during other classes

[Glenn <jglenn@MC-ONLINE.NET>]

> Had an interesting conversation with two band directors yesterday. Many
> music, art and P.E. teachers have been told to teach TAAS reading for
> the first 10 or 15 minutes of their classes. Both of these guys advised
> me that they don't do it, even though it costs them points on their
> evaluations (gasp!). After all, would the reading teacher want band
> students playing their instruments during reading?


Our "elective" teachers are required to do test practice and use multiple
choice questions on all their tests.  The test practice is supposed to be at
least three days per week.  The teachers here ARE doing it, partly because
the pressure on them from the core teachers is so great.  There's a feeling
that it's not fair to place the burden for "earning" the bonus money on only
the core teachers... therefore the elective folks had better pitch in and
help.

Of course, the very idea that this is (a) not good teaching, (b) detrimental
to students, and (c) a clever way on the part of the bureaucracy to pit
teachers against one another so that no one sees the bigger picture is pooh
poohed.  :-^

Teresa Glenn

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