SLA is still CCRAP

Its spring in NJ, but this year there will be no CCRAP (ok, so it's really called PARCC).  Instead we have SLA.  (For those of you who are of a certain age, that is NOT the Symbionese Liberation Army, but Student Learning Assessment.) In my eye, it's the same thing.  Or as the saying goes:  "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig."  My own take on that is "You can put lipstick on a pig, but who the hell would want to kiss it?"  (Sorry pig lovers!)

I think I  hate the word "assessment."  It’s beginning to make my skin crawl.  Our children as constantly being assessed.  But what does this really mean?  Does it tell us anything that we DON'T already know?  Does it tell us WHO are children really are?  The answer to both is NO!

With that said, my son IS currently "participating" in the NJ SLA.  Although he'll spend LESS time SLA-ing than he did CCRAP-ing; he'll still be sitting there NOT being engaged and NOT learning anything new.  He'll miss classes that he loves (just when he FINALLY got into the Art cycle).  All this just to assess my child?

I can say with confidence, when these results come back, this is what they will say.  When it comes to English/Language Arts (whatever the heck you want to call it), he will come in just over the average.  If the state, district or town average is 20; then he will come in with a 20.5.  When it comes to Math, if the average is 117; then he will come in with a 115.2.  (Note, these numbers are totally random on my part.  I have NO clue what the averages are or will be, nor do I really care.)  They will be the same results he's had since he started with CCRAP back in elementary school.  And even then I knew what the results would show.

This does not mean my son is not smart.  This does not mean my son is not learning.  This DOES NOT mean that my son's teachers haven't done their job or aren't excelling.  (They are!)  What does it mean?  It means that my son, is slightly below average in one area and slightly above in another.  Surprise!  My kid is pretty much...average.  Or at least he is when it comes to these subjects.  In other subject and more importantly, in other aspects of life, he excels.  

Of course there are some aspects of life that he just absolutely DOESN'T get.  Organization is the one that immediately comes to mind.  Instead of sitting in front of a computer being "assessed" couldn't we be drilling him in organizational skills?  Sure he gets "training" in that in home and in the classroom, but he could use more.  It would definitely be more beneficial to him and to his future if he spent more time learning/working on organizational skills than reading some random package and answering questions.  

So what DOES NJSLA do?  Well according to the state education website (pertaining to the English side of things):  The NJSLA-ELA measures student proficiency with grade level skills, knowledge and concepts that are critical to college and career readiness. On each assessment, students read and analyze passages from authentic fiction and nonfiction texts. The test can also include multimedia stimuli such as video or audio. The NJSLA-ELA assessments emphasize the importance of close reading, synthesizing ideas within and across texts, determining the meaning of words and phrases in context and writing at every grade. 


In a nutshell...yeah, it's a pig and it's wearing lipstick.   As so for one, wasteful week, my son will (metaphorically) be kissing that pig...Next week we return you to your regularly scheduled learning.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more