This time of year everyone in the state of Maryland (who is also in the field of education) has one thing on their mind MSA. The state test is a big deal this year for my school seeing as last year was the first time we had made AYP in four year.
This year which changes being made to No Child Left Behind AYP is measured differently then in the past; this is both good and bad for my school. On the good side we do not have to continue to have a specific number of child go up we just have to say the same or improve. The downside is that the math curriculum has changed for the county. Six grade math (both standard and advanced) no longer has any geometry standards in it. This means that all of our sixth graders eaither have to remember the geometry from 5th grade (which they don't) or they get them all wrong; this is not good for our numbers for AYP.
Oh how we all just love MSA. I think its interesting that your county didn't keep math the same for just the reason of the test. My county I know kept math the same as it used to be for 3-5 grades up until after the testing is over. Then they will start doing common core like k-2 have been.
ReplyDeleteOh yes the joys of the MSA. My school is in a different position because we have just about always made AYP but the elementary school I worked at last year did not make AYP which made it a really tense place to work at. Some of my students are griping about taking the science MSA this year since they are in 8th grade :)
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