Year Eight

September 1, 2019

It was either the first or second day of the school year when I heard this, "Old Man, just so you know, this year may be as bad or worse than last year."  Not exactly what I wanted to hear but, as I've said numerous times in the past, "I don't need to do this, I choose to do this."  However, the words, "Bad or worse than last year," caused me to pause and think about this blog.  Academically, last year was a challenge, it wasn't a lot of fun, it resulted in my writing more negative blog posts than positive blog posts and I didn't like that.  So I delayed, delayed, delayed, and eventually decided to stop writing my blog.

On Monday, August 26th, T4 looked at me and said, "Why haven't I seen any letters (our private, classroom word for blog)."  "I can't get started," I said.  "It will be too much like last year and as you know, last year was a challenge."  "You can't stop," she said to me.  "You have to continue telling everyone what it is like to be a teacher.  People need to hear the story,"

So, here we are, twenty days into the school year and I'm about to tell the story of a teacher, in a school in a low social economic neighborhood, a school that has been struggling to reach an academic standard that will avoid it from being taken over by the state of Indiana.  You are being forewarned, when I get started "I'm too hot, called a police and a fireman, I'm too hot, make a dragon wanna retire man," and remember, I don't make this stuff up.  The quote is from a song by Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars, and is call Uptown Funk.

I'm going to list test results in the order that I found out about them so you can see what this teacher has just inherited.  If this doesn't get too lengthy I'll go into some of the specifics as to what I've seen during the first twenty days of this school year, otherwise, you'll have to wait until the next blog post.

First up are the IREAD3 results.  This is an Indiana reading and determination assessment measuring foundational reading standards for third grade scholars.  The test was administered during the last school year.  A failing grade results is a remediation opportunity for the scholar and, in worse case, calls for the retention of the scholar in the third grade.  Here are the results.  The number of third grade scholars that took the test is forty-six.  The number of third grade scholars that passed the test is sixteen.  The number of third grade scholars that failed the test is thirty.  That is a sixty-five percent failure rate.  From prekindergarten through the second grade you learn how to read.  From the third grade on you read to learn.  T4 is now sitting amongst thirty scholars who can't read to learn and they advanced to her fourth grade classroom.  

Next up is the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) testing results.  This test was administered to the fourth grade scholars about a week and a half into the school year.  The results of this test will set the academic baseline for all of the scholars that T4 will be working with this school year.  Once this baseline is set T4 will have the task of getting each fourth grade scholar to show academic growth over the initial test.  In math forty-one scholars took the test.  Seven of the forty-one tested out on grade level.  That is seventeen percent of the scholars taking the test.  In reading thirty-four scholars took the test.  Only one of the thirty-four who took the test tested out on grade level.  That is three percent of the scholars taking the test.

Last up is the biggest failure in mandatory testing in the state of Indiana.  This test is a product of the lowest life form on earth, the politician, plus the Indiana Department of Education, and pointy headed intellectuals with a PhD.  By the way I recently found out, from a Wine Drinking Wednesday friend, what PhD stands for, piled higher and deeper.  So what is this biggest failure, Indiana's Learning Evaluation Readiness Network (ILEARN) and this is certainly a testing process created by a piled higher and deeper person.

Here are the fresh off the presses results of the ILEARN test.  The results you are about to see are from the third grade scholars that are now in the fourth grade.  The percentage of scholars passing English Language Arts (ELA) is eight percent.  The percentage of scholars passing Math is ten percent.

"I'm too hot, called a police and fireman. make a dragon wanna retire man."  Welcome to the insanity of education.  A place where sixty-five percent of the fourth grade scholars failed to learn to read in the lower grade levels and got promoted to the fourth grade.  Welcome to the insanity of education.  A place where fourth grade scholars are tested to determine there academic baseline and the results show that the baseline they are currently at is at a third grade or below level.  Welcome to the insanity of education.  A place where eight percent of the third grade scholars passed the ELA portion of ILEARN and ten percent of the third grade scholars pass the math portion of ILEARN and they are promoted to the fourth grade. Welcome to the insanity of ILEARN where it clearly states on the test results what to do with scholars that are BELOW PROFICIENCY.  "Indiana students below proficiency have not met current grade level standards.  Students may require significant support to develop the knowledge, application, and analytical skills needed to be on track for college and career readiness." The scholars that T4 just inherited did not meet current grade level standards and they got promoted into her classroom.

"I'm too hot, called a police and fireman, make a dragon wanna retire man," and I'm about to add some fuel to the fire.  School leadership, while doing a fourth grade classroom observation, observed what was going on, and then informed the teacher, "you need to us more rigorous fourth grade lesson plans."  They are at a third grade or below academic level and more rigorous fourth grade lesson plans need to be used.  What?  Maybe the leadership person that made this recommendation could come into the classroom and demonstrate how to teach a rigorous fourth grade lesson plan to fourth grade scholars that can't do fourth grade work.  Do you know what the chances of that happening are, ZERO.  The blank statement, "You need to have more vigorous lessons," was made and out the door leadership goes probably thinking, "Well, I did my part, now it is up to the teacher to do hers."

Too long but I'll give you one example of what T4 is up against.  Fourth grade math worksheet.  Take a number that is in written form and change it into standard form.  Here is the number in written form, six hundred and thirty-four.  The scholar's answer did not contain a six, three, or a four.  Why?  The scholar is reading at a C level when he should be at an O level so he had no idea what six hundred and thirty-four meant.

Welcome to year number eight.