I’m not administering the tests this year, but I did receive feedback from NYC teachers and it’s not pretty.
The 3rd grade ELA (English-language arts) test contained FIVE long and dense reading passages – one teacher called them “impossible”- and 30 multiple choice questions. Third graders without testing accommodations had just 70 minutes to complete the test. Many students either didn’t finish or rushed to finish with seconds remaining. One child repeatedly hit the side of his head with the palm of his hand. Others shed tears and some felt ill.
The 5th grade test contained SIX reading passages (no poems) and 42 multiple choice questions. The passages were long and cumbersome and students without testing accommodations had 90 minutes to complete the test.
Tomorrow the students will take day two of the NYS ELA test followed by day three on Thursday.
I told my first graders that for homework they had to be nice to their older, test-taking siblings and that they had to tell their sibling (s) something that he or she is good at.
Critical Classrooms, Critical Kids 
The middle school assessments were just as bad. They had 6 really long passages with 42 multiple choice questions and 90 minutes for non testing modification students. That left about 2 minutes to answer each question. The questions were very unfair and time consuming, in my opinion. They constantly told the students to go back to the passage. I would be very surprised if students with only 90 minutes were able to finish it.
Reblogged this on stopcommoncorenys.