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Showing posts from January, 2016

The Change of the M-STEP Due to Public and Teacher Feedback

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Teachers, parents, and students often felt powerless when it came to government-mandated standardized tests such as the Michigan Student Test for Educational Progress (M-STEP). It was difficult for teachers and parents to understand if the amount of time spent on standardized testing was necessary and beneficial to students. Hours were taken away from teaching and learning time last school year in order to administer the M-STEP. This was a problem. The M-STEP was also an online test. This took computer time away from teachers and students who needed them for instructional and learning purposes. This was another problem. There were also technology problems such as software failures, which also ate up teaching and learning time. Teachers across the state had issues with the M-STEP. Many felt that standardized tests were an unreliable and inaccurate measure of student growth. Standardized testing increased stress and wasted time, creating a toxic environment that hurt teacher