MIke;
There is increasing pressure for our Transition program to focus on having
our student's study, take and pass the Minnesota statewide basic standards
test required for general ed MN students to pass if they are to receive a
diploma. Special ed students can graduate based on achieving IEP activities
and therefore we really don't even need to worry about them but the school
district policy has become so rigid we are considered dissenters if we take
the, 'the tests don't really matter' line. I should also note that test
taking is a part of life and the employment market is definitely turning into
a place where potential employees need to know how to take and pass a
standardized test. But then again I am looked at funny if I mention that we
should teach overt test taking skills to our students. Anyway, during the
summer we have to do all we can to convince students our summer school is not
sitting in desks but rather is gardening, camping, job search, job retention,
etc. The reason being is that their gen. ed. friends who go to summer school
are only going for the sole purpose of passing the basic standards test.
Not so coincidentally I decided to take my summer vacation during the time
period when MN was doing the basic standards testing.
One more thing, my reasoning for having CHAT theorists, sociocultural
theorists, participatory theorists, etc unite in one general statement
regarding the internalization/externalization debate is to break this
stranglehold the positivisitic innate theorists have over American public
education.
best regards,
eric
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