For the past three years I have not had a legitimate History class. I have taken and passed three different courses, but I have learned almost nothing. The amount of information I do not know is startling and I am the top student in my grade.
As a sophomore in Texas, I am part of the age group that is required to take the new and improved standardized test: the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness End of Course. The STAAR EOC tests are more in depth and focused on the subject taken than the previous Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills or TAKS tests.
My eighth grade year was my last year of TAKS tests. The entire class passed easily, despite the fact that the most work we did was copy the answers to worksheets down from our book. My teacher allowed us to watch episodes of shows such as Swamp People, which are on the History Channel but are all together not beneficial when it comes to passing a test without the use of electronics or a textbook.
Last year, as a freshman, I took World Geography and my first round of EOCs. World Geography class followed a strict pattern: take notes on a section of the book, do that section’s worksheet, repeat for all sections in the chapter, note quiz, review and then test. The notes prepared by my ‘teacher’ were brief and were useless when answering the majority of questions on any worksheet, quiz or test. I quickly realized that if I wanted to learn anything I had to teach myself and I did just that. Armed with my World Geography textbook, I took my own notes and taught myself the required material. I received Level 3 Advanced on my World Geography End of Course test because I taught myself, because I did not trust that the meager information supplied by my ‘teacher’ was enough, because I was not going to fail due to a lack of instruction.
This year’s History course, and subsequent EOC test, has been the straw to break the camel’s back.
The school district decided to implement C-Scope, a different curriculum from previous years. C-Scope doesn’t require the use of a textbook and is all about students discovering the information on their own. This meant that while taking World History I lacked a textbook and was forced to rely on the meager information supplied by my ‘teacher.’ If the class needed to define terms, identify people or places, or research the topic we were discussing, we were limited to what we could find on the internet during a class period. We would begin worksheets, answer using various websites, and then never grade or go over the worksheets. Anything we did was subject to material we found on our own without help from our ‘teacher.’
Please do not misunderstand. I am perfectly content with a teacher who is not breathing down my neck trying to help me learn. I simply wish that I had a teacher who would tell me if I had the correct answers on a paper once it was turned in.
Two semesters of a relaxed classroom where half of the time was spent discussing current events that did not pertain to any STAAR material resulted in a group of students taking their EOC and being absolutely certain they had failed. The World History EOC was detailed and questions ranged from ancient to recent history. The test was what my class had expected, however we were not prepared at all.
The small amount of time we had spent preparing for the test had been interrupted by the discussion local events, arguments between class and teacher, and anything else that could possibly keep a class from reviewing.
Surprisingly the majority of the class passed the End of Course test. However, anyone who has taken a standard history test can tell you that it is fairly easy to guess correctly even if you are not sure of your answer. I was relieved by this news because in the back of my mind I was fretting that I had failed and would be required to retake the test.
However, in my mind, I did fail. I did not receive Level 3 Advanced on my World History End of Course test. This is the first time this has occurred. I cannot help but believe that if I had been taught at all throughout the school year that I would have easily scored high enough to achieve my goal.
I would not have been the only one. Several off my classmates who are definitely intelligent enough to receive an advanced score on any standardized test are grateful that they passed.
This cannot be good enough. Just passing after doing nothing all year is not good enough for me, my classmates, or anyone else who is stuck with a teacher that does not teach. I miss having real teachers who wanted to make sure you understood the material. I do not care if a teacher is my friend or if they come across as likeable as long as I know what I need to know in order to succeed.
As the daughter of two teachers I know that there is only so much that a teacher can do. They cannot hold our hands the entire year because they cannot take the test for us. However a teacher is not only able, but required to teach their students the material.
How can anyone expect another to succeed when they send them to a gunfight with a knife?