They're HERE! The TESTS Have Arrived!!

By

Lynn K. McMullin

In the midst of all our snow closings and delays and sub-freezing temperatures, the CMT and CAPT tests have arrived in Central Office – all 68 boxes of them.  We’ve gotten them color-coded and ready for delivery to the schools.  In fact, by the time you are reading this, they may have already arrived at the offices of our four school test coordinators: Chris Woods at CBPS, Lynn Kaufman at CIS, Bill Donovan at CMS, and Irene Urko at CHS.

What every farmer knows is that you can’t get the little pig fatter by weighing him.  I often use this statement as an analogy to standardized testing, such as the CMT and CAPT.  We certainly won’t make our children more skilled or academically successful by testing them.  And while, this blog is an inside look at the time and effort that goes into the “weighing,” we all know the real work is what our teachers do every day in their classrooms  to help our students achieve. 

On the other hand, I’d like you to also know it is no simple task making these tests happen… Imagine, our efforts are replicated in every school district across Connecticut, and for the most part, on a much larger scale.   Each year when I check-in our boxes, (which everyone in our office noted inevitably arrive wet and dirty), I remind myself that some districts (Hartford, for example) must be receiving literally 100’s and 100's of boxes and need a whole storage facility to store them.

Here are some facts to ponder!

Based on last year’s data, we can expect our students to spend a total of 58.5 total hours across the grades in the actual testing.  Our third graders have the least amount of testing -- 7.5 hours.  Our 10^th graders have the most – 13 hours!  Three of our schools were assigned to take supplemental tests this year, which adds to their testing window, as these students will be trying out questions and tasks for future CMT’s and CAPT’s.  Tenth graders will be taking an extra Interdisciplinary Writing Test, for example. 

We will likely administer about 340 different make-up tests for students who were sick or away from school during the test administration.  We will work with about 106 official accommodations, such as students who need a reader or scribe, or large print materials, or extended time and an alternate setting, per their Special Education individualized plan (IEP).  We will need 117 teachers, working as trained proctors, to follow a specific set of protocols and administer the tests. 

The four school coordinators and I will spend about 250 hours on the various administrative tasks, including 50 hours in unpacking and inventorying tests and supplies, 15 hours training proctors and readers, 15 hours in phone or email correspondence with Measurement Incorporated over interesting testing ‘issues’ (such as what to do with a booklet a child was sick on), and 30 hours repacking the test booklets for scoring.   I have 184 emails in last year’s ‘testing folder.’   Lest you think that even the inventory is simple, at the Middle School, for example, Bill Donovan will count '290 small blue paper rulers' and '170 formula sheets'.  There are individualized bar code labels to check for each student’s testing booklets.

In addition, your school administrators, and sometimes even their PTO’s and parent volunteers, will spend many hours planning whole school assemblies and pep talks, re-doing the bell schedule, finding appropriate space for small group accommodations, scheduling proctors and substitutes, writing letters home, and even arranging breakfast or wholesome snacks for our test-takers.

At the end of March, we’ll re-inventory and box it all up again – the completed tests and the materials -- and each box will be taped shut and affixed with its two security seals and two address labels. 

No one is complaining!!  (Well, maybe just a little!)  But, in Canton, we do take this time very seriously, intending that every detail is well planned and every eventuality, controlled.  It’s important to us that this community continue to enjoy its excellent test scores.  

But, more importantly, it’s crucial to us that your children continue to master the math, reading, writing, science, and analytical problem-solving skills that the Connecticut tests measure.  It wouldn’t be fair of us to send them into a testing situation feeling overwhelmed and underprepared.  Over the summer, we'll study our overall test results and make changes in the curriculum and instruction that will help more of our children reach the goal.  We'll also study the individual results and set personalized goals so that each child reaches the next benchmark.

In a few weeks, I’ll blog about what you can do as parents to help us ensure your student’s best performance.