Testing

I've never been a good test taker, so as a teacher my sympathy runs very deep for my students when comes to taking standardized test. This week my 'babies" at school have taken the Ohio Proficiency Test. What a ridiculous creation! We sit all the students in the sate down to take the same assessment and we then rate the teachers talents and the school setting. Not one evaluation takes into account home life, family support, and academic focus.
So here I am, buying clothes and food for at least 5 of my students, making sure at least three of them get showers more than once a week, and teaching not only content but character as well. Then these mysterious people who have never met my students, never heard about their home lives, or asked what grade level skills they were on when they arrived to my room come and write a general test to determine how good of a teacher I am. It's offensive! Don't get me wrong, I know there are teachers out there who don't do what they're suppose to do and do not have the best interest of the students at heart, but a standardized test isn't going to solve that. I don't have all the answers. I wish I did. Do you?