It's been busy.

[novapsyche]

I'm gainfully employed, albeit temporarily.

I'm scoring the journal writing portions of the Grade 6 State of Ohio proficiency tests. It's mindnumbing, repetitive work, and if I weren't such a diehard grammarian, I'd probably have quit by now. The pay is good for Iowa City, however, so I figure I should stick around.

In Michigan, our proficiency tests are known as the MEAP, and my year (1993 grads) were the last batch of students who didn't have to have a certain percentage in order to graduate. I've been back to my old school, and I know that the curriculum has been dumbed down, because teachers have to take time to coach their students for the test. Many have had to alter their syllabi in order to make this time. In fact, whole weeks may be taken up by preparation for the test, which takes a week, IIRC. (Apparently, to the chagrin of several Ohio sixth graders, it takes a week in that state.)

Anyway. Reading some of these entries has heartened me, because out here in Iowa no one has heard of Cedar Point. To see so many children reference it in their sparse paragraphs warms me cockles. :)


In other news, my car has been rescued from the repossessors and the bank; I am the sole owner of a 1994 nameless Honda del Sol. However, I've acquired this car at a high price: I now owe one person $4000 . . . and I live with said person. Needless to say, it's a high-stress environment.

Comments

[ex-boots717.livejournal.com]

huh. what an interesting job. didn't know jobs like that existed.
so what are those sixth graders writing about Cedar Point? Do they give you standards upon which to grade? Is any of the writing interesting? Makes me wish I could go back and read my old proficiency essays. As meaningless as they are...

i hope you find 4000 dollars. good luck

k

[metaphorge.livejournal.com]

Now if only I could find a job....

cedar point!

[prblmchld.livejournal.com]

that's the first time i've ever seen cedar point and meap referenced in the same journal entry - or ANY journal entry for that matter. and i always kind of assume that everyone just *knows* what the meap is - never think of it being specific to michigan. oy. i'm culture-centric.

feedback issues

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine here in Michigan has written a couple of columns on how the MEAP test is poorly used and doesn't give teachers and administrators enough information for them to improve their teaching. If someone told you you were only 68% in math and you had to get better, would you have any idea how to go about it? We're hoping to get the state to start releasing actual results to the schools so they can find out which questions their students are getting wrong - even agregate results would be better than percentages.

Do you know if the schools in Iowa get the actual results of the test you're scoring?