Pub. 5 2015-2016 Issue 1

19 CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 In general, what are your thoughts about the current student assessment mecha- nism? Hanifi Oguz: Efforts to add rigor to testing are good; so is the emphasis on critical thinking instead of rote memorization. At the same time, students are currently being over-tested on a state level. For example, schools have the option of having students take the SAGE, the PSAT and the ACT. It really makes sense to think about what the test results will tell the school and to only have students take those tests that make sense. We decided to drop the PSAT and keep the ACT because doing both was unnecessary. Jami McKay: A serious problem with state testing is the fact that it is limited. Hard skills lend themselves to testing. Intangible soft skills don’t. Soft skills include empathy, inter- personal skills, experience with community service, and the ability to collaborate or be proactive. Despite the fact that they can’t effectively be measured, intangible skills often help students distinguish themselves after graduation. Hanifi Oguz: It is no wonder that some people have strong feelings against testing. However, there is a genuine need to find out what students have learned and to assess their skills as accurately as possible. Jami McKay: Not all parents support testing. This can sting, especially when the best students opt out of testing. Schools can’t force parents to allow their students to be tested, but it is possible for school representatives to talk to parents and make sure they know all the options. Sometimes parents will change their minds. Since many parents consider the tests to be intrusive and will opt out because of concerns about privacy, schools can offer other options instead. For example: • A student can take the test, but the test results don’t have to be reported. • A student can take part of the test, but not all of it. Sometimes the goal is just to give students familiarity with the process of being tested so they are more comfortable with it. What has your school done to transition and prepare your staff to be successful on the SAGE assessments? Hanifi Oguz: Essentially, teachers and students need to feel safe in order for them to be successful. That means it’s important for administrators never to impose their views on the teachers. Since teachers motivate students, they need to be able to act creatively. They need space to engage meaningfully and they need freedom to play with the curriculum when necessary. The teachers are really the field experts. When they know their opinions matter, they care more, and they can put their focus on what to do as teachers within the classroom. Students naturally join in a partnership with their teachers when the environment is positive. Part of creating the right environment is making sure that people receive recognition and awards, and also to have celebrations along the way. Some students lack organizational skills, or else they don’t have time at home to devote to their studies. Schools can help with these sorts of issues. For example, schools can make sure students have time to read during the school day, and they can also set up a study hall where students can learn the organizational skills they need. What kind of professional development does your staff receive in order to prevent the “teaching to the test” dilemma? Hanifi Oguz: If a school successfully creates a supportive culture with inspiring teachers where students are actively working hard to learn then the students will do well on the tests as a natural byproduct of their work in the classroom. Tana Archer To build a supportive culture, schools have to offer teachers opportunities for professional development and mentoring. North Star flew 16 teachers to New York so they could observe schools that were implementing the state core before Utah did. Teachers were also encouraged to attend Core Academy when the state core was being implemented. Those who attended then trained other teachers. Jamie McKay: Sometimes it is possible to have a leadership retreat and to give teachers an extra opportunity to talk shop. Teachers can also communicate with each other through texts and emails. The goal is to train teachers to work collaboratively and give them the resources they need. How do you balance maintaining your charter focus while ensuring that you meet the state’s academic measure- ments?