So Florida passed a law requiring students to take an "End of Course" exam in every subject rather than just having the "FCAT" math, reading, writing, and science tests for certain grade levels. As a result, we now have to give an end of course exam in EVERY SUBJECT including but not limited to elementary music (that's what I teach), elementary art, elementary P.E., elementary library, kindergarten, high school home eq, etc.

It's quite ridiculous if you ask me. But unfortunately I HAVE To give my students this test at the end of the year and because of that it's my job to prepare them.

I was pissed at first that I'd have to change around a ton of the lessons I had already made and used the past couple of years. I'm always using new lesson plan ideas, but not some good ones that I've been using at certain times of the year just didn't work anymore.

In addition, we got a new assistant principal this year who insisted that I need physical evidence to show that my students have been learning this year. He suggested an assessment everytime they walked in my room...which is nonsense when you only see them once a week for 40 minutes. But I've been trying to do "exit slips" - just one question that sums up the things they learned that day in class.

I've been tracking the data and it's actually REALLY cool to see how much some of them have grown in such a short time. I have students who can now listen to a rhythmic passage and determine which passage was played out of four choices. In addition, students are learning to listen to a rhythm passage and write what they hear. We are working on melody for the second nine weeks and my students will have to learn how to listen to a melody and notate it as well.

It sounds ridiculous - but I didn't have to change that much to be honest. My students still sing, play a instruments, move, play games, have a ton of fun. But they can tell me things like, "OMG! That's an ostinato pattern" and "Hey! I can read the note names on the staff!' and "The form of this piece is a rondo form!"

I'm kind of loving the growth! :P

The growth in your students sounds amazing! Shame about all of the testing though. My mum teaches at primary (elementary) level and she says all the testing is such a pain in the ass.

State testing has been getting bad. I know Ohio here has changed the curriculum a little bit and made it a little bit harder to graduate high school because of it by upping the requirements. Glad I didn't have to deal with that because it seems crazy.

Also, you're in Florida, so...umm...yeah...you have more bad than good.

@Bearzy - yeah - the testing is out of control. They want the Kindergarten students to take their test on a computer at the end of the year. These kids don't know how to operate a mouse, to click and drag answers, or even how to read the questions! It's crazy!

Plus - the testing in activities now - I really hope it doesn't take the fun out of activity classes D:

@APB - haha Florida school situations are REALLY bad right now...so there isn't a bright side to it at the moment unfortunately :(

Oh my goodness haha. When I was in elementary school I couldn't do said things. I still can't sadly. (Piano student that is absolutely horrid at sight reading and ear=me) The testing sounds like a hassle also. Having such little kids being stressed out with school is a really bad idea in my opinion. But it's nice to hear that they're all learning a lot! (: xx

Wut, your class sounds awesome, I want to take that! I've learned a bunch of instruments over the years, but I'm still really bad at music theory-type stuff. Every time I let an instrument slide, I forget how to read sheet music and have to re-learn next time I play.

Testing in schools seems to be getting more and more insane, from what I hear. It seems like teachers increasingly have to spend all year teaching for the tests instead of just teaching the subject.