I graded tests yesterday and the vast majority of my students did very well. They surpassed my goal of 80% class average and many well beyond that.
Great right? It should be, but my first reaction was to assume they cheated. My second thought was "I need to make this harder."
"What is wrong with me" to both of those thoughts. They SHOULD be doing well on the test. I should be happy when they do, not suspicious or immediately in search of a way to make sure they do poorly. Kids will cheat. That's a reality; however, the assumption shouldn't be automatically that they couldn't have done well without doing something shady.
Not only does that show a gross mistrust and lack of belief in my students, but it should a lack of self confidence. It shows that I don't believe my instruction can lead kids to perform well on a test. It shows that deep down I don't feel like my students are learning anything.
Do I think that is true? No. I think my kids are learning. They're showing me they're learning. At some point, you have to take a breath and believe you're doing a quality job with your students if they're producing quality results. No need to sabotage them as a reward.
Related Articles:
Why Dallas Students Cheat
Testing anxiety in Dallas Students
Standardized Testing in Dallas Schools
Great right? It should be, but my first reaction was to assume they cheated. My second thought was "I need to make this harder."
"What is wrong with me" to both of those thoughts. They SHOULD be doing well on the test. I should be happy when they do, not suspicious or immediately in search of a way to make sure they do poorly. Kids will cheat. That's a reality; however, the assumption shouldn't be automatically that they couldn't have done well without doing something shady.
Not only does that show a gross mistrust and lack of belief in my students, but it should a lack of self confidence. It shows that I don't believe my instruction can lead kids to perform well on a test. It shows that deep down I don't feel like my students are learning anything.
Do I think that is true? No. I think my kids are learning. They're showing me they're learning. At some point, you have to take a breath and believe you're doing a quality job with your students if they're producing quality results. No need to sabotage them as a reward.
Related Articles:
Why Dallas Students Cheat
Testing anxiety in Dallas Students
Standardized Testing in Dallas Schools
RSS Feed