[eMINTS] MAP Prep Book Discussion

[Julie Fessenden]

Pam,
Thank you so much for posting this!  The testing pressure is
unbelievable and your voice of reason is just what I needed to hear! 
I've always believed your philosphy.  Right now it seems inquiry is not
popular, but direct instruction is.

Have any of you read about 90-90-90 schools?  Some of the research I've
been given shows that low-income parents want direct instruction for
their students.  I've found this to be true.  How do you overcome this
thought pattern?
Julie

Julie Fessenden
5th Grade
Oakwood Elementary
>>> "Pam Lowe" <prlowe at myway.com> 01/29/08 11:25 PM >>>
 
The following are my thoughts about preparing for the MAP, adding to the
discussion of MAP Prep Books. If you donÆt agree with me, thatÆs fine. 
WeÆre all individuals and have our own opinions.  This is rather lengthy
and weÆre all busy people.  So, treat the following like a buffet, take
the thoughts you like or agree with and discard the rest or delete the
whole message.  J   
 
First, let me say that I dislike the fact that publishers are scrambling
to make big bucks by capitalizing on teachersÆ and schoolsÆ fear of not
doing well on the test.  They know that schools are between a rock and a
hard place trying to meet the standards of NCLB.  Every state has a
booklet geared toward their state expectations.  I would hate to see
teachers make these books their main focus for MAP preparation.  IÆm
guilty of having done that in pastà running off numerous copies of
problems for practice.  I recently thumbed through a popular MAP Prep
Book the other day and noticed that most of the DOK levels were geared
at 1 and 2.  IÆm not saying that we donÆt need to mock test, or that it
would be inappropriate to use an occasional problem from one of these
books as an example, IÆm just saying that if I teach the content and
also teach my students how to reason, think, and provide inquiry-based
learning opportunities in order to flex their thinking abilities that
they 
 
should be able to tackle any problem armed with strategies and
confidence.  I truly believe and have experienced that if teachers do
both these things throughout the school year, it eliminates last minute
cramming of material and skills before the test that stresses everyone
involved.  
 
Sure, there are going to be good testing years and years that are not so
good, simply because there are some factors that are out of our control.
 The key thing is to look at where your students started from the year
before.  If you can raise them an achievement level, youÆve done well. 
I always make a bar graph at the beginning of the year of my studentsÆ
scores from the previous year by achievement levels.  I make a poster
and label it, ôIf We Had Been a Class Last Year.ö  It shows the whole
class where we are beginning.  We circle the Proficient and Advanced
categories and write, ôOur Goal.ö  I talk to each individual child
privately and discuss their scores so they know what their individual
goal is for the current year.  It encourages a team atmosphere and each
child knows his/her goal.  We keep the poster up all year as
encouragement and refer to it often. 
 
Occasionally I have a teacher say to me, ôI donÆt think itÆs fair that
we donÆt know whatÆs on the test so that we can prepare for it.ö  That
would defeat the whole purpose.  WeÆre supposed to be about trying to
encourage autonomous thinkers.  Knowing whatÆs on the test so that we
can prepare is, first, teaching to the test and second, taking a step
back to the days of the old study guide, where you know whatÆs going to
be on the test and you memorize (DOK Level 1).  Once it clicked with me
that part of the test is about content and the other part is about how
well students can think, it changed everything.  My focus changed and it
alleviated the stress for me and for my students.  
I tell my students on the first day of school that one of my primary
goals is to guide them in such a way that they could be presented any
problem or assignment and be able to problem-solve and reason out an
answer(s) on their own, as well as, justify or explain their answer,
implement a plan or perform an investigation.  ThatÆs my job, to teach
them to think so that they can learn for a lifetime.   
 Pam LoweSTARR TeacherSoutheast Missouri State University1 University
Plaza, Mailstop 5500Cape Girardeau, MO
63701-4799800-401-6680573-651-5956http://www4.semo.edu/rpdc/STARR/STARR.htmhttp://schoolweb.missouri.edu/poplarbluff.k12.mo.us/lowe/

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