Blog #7

I go to my service learning in the morning, because I'm only there in the first part of the day I miss a lot of the standards. However I am there for the Reading Standards. Some that I've seen specifically are the Reading Standard 1. My cooperating teacher has had me working with some of the students on a play. We read the script but we also talk about the  who, what, where, when, why, and how as it pertains to the play we are reading. The students understand the concept, which shows me they have already discussed these concepts in class. It also shows me that the students are understanding what they are reading. This activity also covers Standard 6 in the reading standards for 2nd grade. They get the opportunity to read the dialog with a different voice that they students believe match the personality of the characters. This helps the students understand points of view. Reading Standards have seemed to be an emphasis in my service learning. I think this is mostly because of the time that I am in observing and helping out. 

As I asked my cooperating teacher about standards, testing as well as the impact of NCLB. She said that because NCLB has been around since she started teaching that is has just been something that has always been a part of teaching for her. She also said that 3rd-8th grade has it harder because they actually take the national tests. Where as in 2nd grade they focus on preparing them for district tests. She said it can be a challenge though because she feels like every year they have a new standard. She also felt like because a lot of the students at their school are at a lower level, some of the standards even for 2nd graders can be really challenging. She felt like some standards were developmentally appropriate while there were other standards that she felt like were not because of the vast range of level her students are at.
We also discussed if she felt that the standardized testing accurately reflected the level the students were at. She expressed that she didn't feel that for her students that standardize testing was an accurate reflection. Some students don't do well on written tests but know the information. She mentioned that she had heard that many of the 3rd grade students end up in tears during testing because they don't know the answers and they feel the pressure they have to perform well on the SAGE testing and other standardized tests.

Overall this week was really enlightening, It was fun to watch specifically for standards and to get a chance to hear my cooperating teachers opinions on Standards, Standardized testing, and NCLB.