Tracking Six Students through the Assessment Schoolyear

How are students affected by the periodic assessments required by the Denver Public School district?  Will the tests improve their academic interest or depress it?  Will the tests prove to be a motivator or a discouragement?  Will students be anxious about the assessments or ignore them?  How will the tests affect the daily life of students at school?

To address these questions, I will profile here six students in my class—two each from grades four, five, and six—and then attempt to describe them throughout the schoolyear as they undertake these periodic assessments.  I have chosen… Continue reading →