Tomorrow begins our two weeks of state assessment (called the CATS test: Commonwealth Accountability Testing System).

The Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) is designed to improve teaching and student learning in Kentucky. CATS includes the Kentucky Core Content Test, writing portfolios and prompts, alternate assessments for students with severe to profound disabilities…

Last year, I didn’t have to test any students. Instead, I had to cover a first grade teacher’s class while she tested someone. I found out last week that this year I will be testing a fifth grade special education student. I have to provide full accommodations for this student. I have to read everything to her and I have to scribe all of her answers. Fun times for me. The multiple choice questions will be no big deal. The open response questions might not even be so bad. I’m most concerned about the on demand portion. During the on demand portion of the test, students have to go through the entire writing process to answer a prompt. They have two hours to do it (and up to four if they need more time). Luckily, I get to do the testing in the computer lab.

I found out later in the week that I would also be having another fifth grader in the lab with me. This one needs no accommodations. It’s a girl who has been out of school and has been on homebound due to medical reasons. I’m not sure exactly what is wrong with her, but one teacher basically said she’s constantly in pain and could die any time. I think (or at least, I hope) that she was exaggerating. She’s going to be testing in the lab because she may need to get up and move around a lot, and her former homeroom teacher didn’t want her distracting any of the other students in that class. The girl was at the awards ceremony on Friday though, and she looked okay.

Testing lasts two weeks. Since testing will last from 8:15 until 11:00 every day, that means my regular lab classes will not meet at the regularly scheduled time. Instead of having classes for an hour they will only last thirty minutes. Short is good, but because of the fact we have to cram in all the classes during the week, my breaks will be fewer and shorter. It will be a busy two weeks for sure!

I’m sort of excited that I get to help with testing because it’ll be interesting to see how many of the answers I know.

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