Oh My Holly Helicopters!

Just as soon as the Christmas break was over and school was back in session, the students started testing. They test all of the time, but this test is different. This is the NWEA test and it has pretty high stakes. This is the test that measures their yearly progress that determines if the school has reached the AYP goals. Every K-6 grade student in the school takes at least 3 tests... the lower grade students take 4 tests. Each test takes about an hour. If they are absent or they do not finish the test, I hunt them down and get them to finish them.

The story problem that runs through my mind: If there are 800 students in the school and each student has to take at least 3 tests on 32 computers... how many times do I have to change the settings on each computer?

I am surprised that I have a minute or two to even write a blog post. Maybe it is because right now in my classroom I have 6 adults helping me with administer the tests to the resource kids. Yesterday I didn't get a chance to use the bathroom until I got home.

Yesterday, I had 60 computers going and up to 4 classes taking tests. Today, I only have 32 computers to work with. Part of the time I have to multitask and go into the other computer lab to teach kindergarten students. That can be a little intense!

Tomorrow I will be officially 1/2 of the way finished with these tests. The good news about coming to school an hour and a half early, leaving an hour late, and coming in on Monday is that I will be able to take a few days off later.

Yesterday, my new SUU class began and tonight is my ESL class. It's a good thing that Joe is cooking tacos for dinner tonight and Rachael has been cleaning the house!