January 9, 2007 ~ Baby Steps

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I am a teacher. Actually, I am a special education teacher. Generally I love what I do. I just hate this time of year. In January, New York State requires us to administer what is called the ELA Test. It is given to all students in grades 3-8 and measures their ability to read, write and listen. Every year at this time we give the test...and every year at this time I feel like a complete and total failure. My students typically bomb! That's not saying much about my ability to teach is it? The problem is the test usually contains passages written above the grade level it is administered to. For the most part the students I work with have reading difficulties. It is the reason they come to me...the reason they have Individualized Education Plans. Yet the state feels they not only have to take it, they expect them to pass it as well. So I have to sit there and watch the students I have become very attached to and protective of struggle through a test written 1-2 years above grade level knowing full well their reading level is 1-2 levels below grade level. Like I said...they typically don't do well. What this test doesn't measure are the small accomplishments I celebrate with them every day. The smile I see creep across the face of a 10 year old boy who just realized he read the entire sentence without any help. The increased confidence that comes with knowing they are improving (even if it is at a slower rate than their friends). The pride that comes with being called on and giving the correct answer. I prefer to celebrate BABY STEPS!!