That Time of the Year

Graduation, prom, final exams and Common Core. Okay, I get the first few elements but adding in Common Core and other standardized testing at the end of the year seems to be poor timing at the very least. Yeah, I get it, we want to check for progress.

But terrific teachers (and that's the vast majority) are checking for progress in many areas throughout the entire school year. Besides, students and staff are pretty tuckered out by May. It is likely that this is one of the worst times of the year to be administering high stakes tests.

Celebration is but one part marking the end of the school year. There are proms, retirement parties and more. It seems to me that, though classes should continue, the work load in May and June should not be the same as the rest of the year particularly if you want to keep students engaged in real learning.

That's just my take on things!
Dick