My first blog entry/ state testing

This is my very first blog entry. I know blogging has been around for a while. There is so much happening that it is hard to narrow it down.

State Testing

Ok, I am a special education teacher. This time of year is so crazy, that I kind of dread it. It is time for state testing. Now, I agree that no child should be left behind. However, not all children can keep up with the tough standards the state has imposed. My poor little special ed students are in that group. They spend their lives constantly struggling. The one part of the day they like and actually get what is happening is during RSP time. Then once a year, they have to take a state test. Like we need to know that they are still behind. They look at the long passages they are forced to try to read and usually just bubble in a nice design. Even the students who excel at math, get frustrated with all the words. Then to be told that they will not go on to the next grade if they don't pass this test. I am all for No Child Left Behind, however not every child learns at the same rate or has the same intelligance. If all the special education students were at grade level, they would not need me. So here we go again with the yearly state testing.