It's Over, Sort of

The latest round of TAKS tests are over. YES!!!

It has been quite a week for us at school. In order to maintain a quiet, orderly environment for the older students to take their test, at our campus we did not have "specials" or recess on testing days. "Specials" are better known as Music and PE. Testing days this week were Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Rather than go to "specials" the counselor and aides kept the students in the classrooms to give the teachers a break. (At least they did it for Kindergarten.) Do you know what it is like to keep 18 5 and 6 year old's in the classroom all day with no break to run off energy or play? It's not easy but we did it. The kids made it through OK but you could tell that it was beginning to wear on them, just as it was on the teachers.

The magic time came and it was announced that all testing had been completed. HALLELUJAH!! We immediately went outside to celebrate and run, and celebrate, and play, and celebrate, and shout. We were tired of being quiet. Goodness, that is hard to do when you are 5 and 6 years old and full of energy.

With all the excitement of TAKS testing being over we do have to come back to earth. It seems that our campus has a special visit today. It is from the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES at the University of Houston). This is the group that comes to each Texas Reading First campus and collects data related to implementation of the Texas Reading First Initiative (TRFI). Just the thing we need the day after 3 days of TAKS testing. We will make it through though. We always do.Now we start the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI). It's all never ending.

© 2008 Barry T Horst

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