The Real Problem With TCAP (And How We Fix It)

In the debut of his new “Mr. Fix-It” series, Josh takes on the high-pressure world of TCAP and state standardized testing, breaking down how it affects students, teachers, and families across Clarksville. Drawing from his own experience as a teacher in the school system, he explores where the stress really begins and how it builds at every level before reaching the classroom and the home. Then he offers a simple solution for how things could be better. If you’ve got a student, know a teacher, or have ever felt the tension that comes with testing season, this one will hit close to home.

Transcript

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Welcome back to Clarksville Insider. I am your host, Josh Atkins, like the diet and typically what we do or what we try to do is get into some sort of conversation about what's going on here in Clarksville. Other things we try to do is really lean into what it is to exist, what it means to live in Clarksville. And there's, there's certain things that you just become used to. they become a part of what your expectations are for getting across town. Okay, traffic, knowing where it's gonna be and when it's gonna be, oh, I can't get there now at 3.30, oh, I'll never be able to get across Trenton, I'll never be able to just insert the word and the time here, all those things. And it's just become part of living here and existing here. And... What one thing I like to do is I like to be I guess critical is the word critical. um But I like to call it having an open mind. I like to be a problem solver and even to the most minute things even it's like okay here's how we can streamline this intersection because I'm sitting in this red light too long and I think I said Reb with a B Reb light but we're rolling with it. We are a one take shop and this is what we're doing so we're moving forward but just I'm sure you You probably have similar situations maybe in things that you are more frequently a part of. So certain intersections I'm like, okay, this is how you do it. You widen this, turn, make the right turn. So, but for you it may be something different. Well. I like to pretend that I'm in charge. And this is you again. So if this is not you, just go along on my journey here. Come along. Let me bring you alongside my neuroses, my psychosis, whatever diagnosis you want. And that was an accidental rhyme. And so just a little peek into uh my history as a freestyle rapper. But along those lines, I just like to fix things or at least think I could if somebody gave me the keys. If somebody said, Josh, you got two weeks, fix it. All right, but I want total control. OK, whatever you need. It's like when a head coach comes into a new team, like Pat Riley is coming over from the Knicks. the heat, the Miami heat trying to get him there. Okay, what's it gonna take? Well, I don't just want to be the coach. I want to be the president. I want to be in charge of player personnel. I want to pick the players. I don't just want to put them out on the court. Well, I want to be the general manager. I want to be the Clarksville coordinator. I want to be, let's just call him Mr. Fix It. And I'm not fixing potholes. I'm not out there with a shovel. I I'm looking at things that can really be improved upon. Either they're something that we experience on a daily basis or something that comes in every once in a while that we just have to intensely deal with. Whatever that is, just call me Mr. Fix-It because I've got some thoughts. I've got some ideas. How do we fix this? Let me tell you. Well, what are we going to do? Let me show you. And the first thing on this series, I would imagine there's going to be some more things that I feel like I can fix around here, but the main thing right now is this major Death Star thing that all the schools and all the kids deal with every year. Every year. TK. I am going to fix TCAP and there's certain things that are going to be beyond my control. They're not going to let me into the state offices and that's fine, but I'm going to bring it in here. How do I fix it? How do we fix it here in Clarksville? Here's how we're going to do it. And I'm just going to, I don't have any notes. I've got the school website pulled up and that's about it. Just cause I was making sure I could check the right dates and everything. But ultimately this is just, like I said, my, my history of freestyle rap battle competitions is really going to come into play here. And so what it's, I mean, it's really just, here's the problem. How do I fix it? Or what do I think would fix it? So here is the problem. I'm going to state the problem. See if you agree. I would imagine you would if you live in this area. The problem is state testing is stressful for kids. That's my thesis. State testing is too stressful for kids. Period. Let's fix it. Okay, first of all, and I don't know why I'm adjusting my chair like you can see me or care, but here we go. We are starting because the biggest way to fix it I've found is one word. One word. And I'll get to it in a second. But it really starts Because it's this pressure. Kids, you gotta eat. You gotta eat a good breakfast. Kids, you gotta get sleep. Kids, we're ending practice early tonight so you can get home and get good rest for TCAP tomorrow. Kids, make sure that you do well on this prep test. Kids, we're gonna make sure, and it's just over and over and it builds and it builds. It's like a slow moving rolling ball. Rock that's heading down towards Indiana Jones, but he can't do it. It's just he it's like he knows he's gonna get hit But it's moving so slow. We can't do anything about it. Actually think more like Austin Powers Okay more like Austin Powers and the guy who gets run over by the steamroller that's he's a thousand feet away He's less than that, but he's screaming like he's got no hope and they're just telling him to get out of the way But he doesn't do it and this slow-moving steamroller heads right for him. this is what it is. TCAP is a slow moving steamroller that is headed straight for our kids every year. Every year, like clockwork. We even know the dates. I'm not sure we know the dates for next year, but I bet we could probably ballpark it. And so here's what they are. This is the CMCSS website. The TCAP tests are designed to assess true student understanding and not just basic memorization and test taking skills. TCAP measure student understanding of our state standards. Okay, I'd say that's pretty good. I would like them to be able to do that. I would like my third grader, my sixth grader to be able to show true student understanding and not just basic memorization. Okay, I want them to show what they've learned. But all of a sudden when you take it and elevate it and say, okay, everything stops for these 10 days. Okay, we're changing the schedules. We're switching the classes. Timmy, you're going over here with Miss Johnson who you haven't seen all year. And Jimmy, you're going over here with Miss Williams who's gonna be talking to you. And it's just all of a sudden, it's all of these things cranking up and it starts. the kid, but just take it out take it out a second. Let's tease it out. Okay. Who's next in line for the pressure? Who's next in line? Parents and teachers. And the biggest issue with that is, guess where the pressure's coming from beyond that? Administrators. You think it's starting there? Nope. Pressure's coming from beyond there. How about the admin of the district? And not just this district, every district in the state. Well, you think that's the only way? You think it starts there? Let me tell you, it doesn't because guess what? It starts at the state board, the state tests and the state board. And this is where it comes from. And Grant, just full disclosure. Okay, I'm gonna let you a little behind the curtain just so you know where I'm. Currently I work in real estate. You've probably heard some other episodes talking about that. I moved to Clarksville to be a teacher, middle school PE teacher, and I was a middle school PE teacher for eight and half years, rounding up to nine. Okay, it sounds better. But I've been in the schools where we adjust the schedules and do our best as administrators and counselors pack those tests. One by one, they've got to get them organized. They've got to put them all in the stacks for each teacher. Hey, where's Miss Johnson? That's just the fake name I'm using, just so we're... Well, I don't know. I think she's been in her office for the last week and a half organizing the tests. Oh, well, we've got a real situation out here. Do you think she could help? Sorry. Did you not hear me? She's in her office organizing tests. You think she wants to be in there? No. But because of the pressure that starts and is stacked from the top of the state level and comes down, that's where it starts. Now my word to fix it is very simple. It's relax. Relax. Josh, you are hardly relaxed even talking about it. How can you tell me to relax? I understand that. That's fair. But here's the thing. If we relaxed at the top, because what do the state administrators want? What do the people that design these tests, hopefully people that have been in a classroom within the last 10 to 15 years, hopefully, I assume, I don't know everything that goes on there, so I'm not pretending that I do. What do they want? They want high scores. They want to show that Tennessee kids get high scores. Now, the jury's out on whether or not they want Tennessee kids to learn, to do well. And see, is where I might be treading on some tough ground here, but that's okay. uh This is independent media, long live. Why do they want high scores? Well, part of it is I would assume that when they go to their national conventions, they want to see Tennessee at the top of that list nationwide. Tennessee ninth in the nation. Ooh, nice. Sounds a lot better than 49th. Ooh, uh yikes. What's going on? Maybe we need some change in leadership over there. Part of it is it's that pressure. It's the people who are in charge saying, okay, I don't want to go to a meeting. I don't want to go somewhere where I'm, I look like a dope and don't know what I'm doing. So now we need to apply pressure down. Alright, let's apply pressure down. Okay, so that goes out to the school districts. Alright, school districts, here's what you need to do so that when I go to my meeting, I look good. We look good. Together. Okay. And then it's like, okay, principals, here's what you need to do. And we assign these numbers, a one, a five. I'm a level five school. Oh, geez. You can hear the clapping. You can hear the elation from being a level five school and the dread and the, ah, geez. We're a level one. There's so much put on these numbers and there's numbers at every level. 49th in the nation. We are a level one school. Okay. How many districts in the state? Okay. Based on that, we are percentiles and all that nonsense. It's all just how you rate against other things. Okay. Well, let's break it down even more. Okay. Principals, you want to get a high score? Of course you do. You want to be a level five, who wants to be a level one? Who goes out and says, I want to be a level one? Who goes up to bat and says, I want to strike out three out of three times. Nobody. So everybody's pushing, they're working, they're trying. It's okay. I want to get up. I got to get moving. I got to get there. Okay. Now let's put the pressure on the teachers. Teachers come on in. Yep. We've got our TCAT meeting and just know, I mean, I've been in these meetings. At one point there's the threat of firing. If you do certain things, if we are not, I mean, this is all, it's all protocol. It's all everything. There's just this. immense level of stress. Because at some point, maybe sometimes there's incentives tied to student achievement on these tests. Geez, okay. Nothing like having your life hanging the balance of whether or not a third grader ate lunch or breakfast that morning. Or if he had an okay night, if he slept at his own house the night before, if he got yelled at getting out of his car. and he's coming in trying to get himself together wiping his eyes. And that's the one that we're like, okay, do you have your pencils? This is a big deal. This is the math portion. It's just, it's insane. Here's how we fix it. Do what we can. Do what you can to create an environment. where students do not feel that pressure. Protect them. Unite even if it's only in your house because that's all you can do I can't control what my kids teachers say to them They would lose their mind if that was an actual policy where I could. All I can do is control how we talk about it at our house. or how we talk about it in the morning. And most of what I try to say is, it's measuring what you know, Okay? Just do your best. Do your best. And that's it. Release the pressure. Take the pressure off of the students. I mean, if we're advocating, take the pressure off of the teachers. Take the pressure off the principles. Holy cow, can we just take the pressure off entirely and say, hey, all right, let's do it. And I know I'm living in this dream world because at some point, at some point, you got to see where everything lands. OK, that's fine. But I'm talking about how do we fix, remember my thesis and I barely remember it and that was 17 minutes ago. But something about, I think I said something like state testing or TCAP is too stressful for kids. And I'm fixing that. Fixing that. Release the pressure. Relax. I'll tell you one way we can do it. I am on the school website right now, the CMCSS website. It says the end of year assessments in grades three through five, the end of the year assessments in language arts, math, and science will be calculated as 15 % of the second semester grade. Now, I don't know all of the ins and outs of that. And I don't know what percentages and all those things, even though I read it, I'm not sure and I'm not pretending to be the expert. Partly because I'm not against the people writing this stuff. This is not an anti-anything. This is pro. I am pro all the things. My wife is a teacher. I got lots of friends still in the schools, administrators, just everywhere. I want this to be a good experience. And the best we can do is release the pressure, remove the pressure. I don't totally know how you do that, but I'm telling you how we do it at our house, and I think that's where it starts. Mom, dad, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, whatever the relationship is to the kids that are taking this test. help them too also. If we can do that and kids can go in and do their best, just imagine, like, okay, we're in baseball season right now. Who's going to perform better? The kid that goes up to bat and every step on his way to home plate, he hears, all right, make sure you get your feet in. Now, let's make them separated. Now, make sure you watch. Okay, you got a guy on third. Make sure you do that. Okay, did you see the sign? Okay, keep your head up. Keep your eyes open. Make sure watch that ball. Okay, don't swing at a third stroke. Like, and it was just going like that and he's shaking. And a normally confident person, a normally confident kid, Three strikes. as opposed to walking up there and hearing, you know what to do. Go do it. You know how to do it. Now go do it. You've done it all year. Go do it. That's how we empower. Instead of pressuring, we relax and we empower. Say, you know what to do. Geez, you've been in school since August. Teachers have been teaching you. And even if you haven't been all the time paying attention, maybe a little bit most of the time. You still got some of it. Hopefully you've improved and you've gotten better at those things. You know what to do. Now do it. That's the theme. If you're making a poster, that's what you put on the poster. You know what to do. Go do it. Math, science, reading, writing, oh, doesn't matter. You know what to if we can free our students to show up. and do what they know how to do. We can't lose. Because really the test at its core is designed to show what they can do. That's what it says. designed to assess true student understanding. Well, if they understand it, they can do it. Mr. Fix-It says, relax, empower. as much as we can provide a space. for them to succeed that does not involve pressure through constant conversation and constant correction. Get your bat up, draw a bow in, feet apart, bend your knees, watch the ball. Do see the sign? Step out of the batter's box. can't believe you missed that You know what to do. Now go do it. Now, like I said, I don't have notes. I don't have a summary paragraph that I've written out or anything like that. I'll try to land the plane here in a second. But ultimately, it starts with us. It starts with me. So the first thing you can do is empower your student. Then look around. Who else can you empower? Going to a ball game tonight? You got some friends, kids that are hanging out? Ask them how they're doing. Ah, you'll be great. You know what to do. Go do it. Do it tomorrow. I'm sure you'll do great. Pretend they're walking up to home plate. Give them the confidence to swing that bat and do well. You know what to do. Now go do it. Now. Mr. Fix-It. I do believe I fixed it. I mean, what else is there? Okay. Now, ultimately, because really, I mean, there's only so much I can do as just one person. But if I can fix it so students are less stressed about it, that's the fix. So, parents, do your job. Do your best. Job is the wrong word. Do your best. Encourage the students, encourage the teachers, encourage the admin. They've been living with this stress for weeks. Stress of a new schedule, a stress of trying to balance all those things and then test collection, test security. I'm sure all the administrators have lost sleep leading up to this and of course during. Any way that we can relieve the pressure even if it's only locally. Do it. Ask a principal, ask a friend, hey, I'll get you coffee. Hey, can I bring in something? Hey, how you doing? Just whatever you can. The more we release the stress on the teachers and the admin, the more they can release it with our kids. And so when we really say, know what to do now, go do it, we know they're going into an environment where they can. And that's really what we want. We really want them to be an environment where they can show what they know how to do. and do it to the best of their ability. Alright, now, wrapping up. Not every episode is like this. Not every episode is me on a soapbox. Okay, first of all, I've heard... What is a soapbox? I assume it's a box, okay? But I know it's mean just like, yes, from old times where you stand up and make some grand announcement. But ultimately, this is where it's... It's not always going to be this. Like I said, sometimes it's conversation. Sometimes it's... just talking about real estate numbers, because like I said, that's what I do now. I used to teach, now I'm doing that. And so today on a Mr. Fix-It is more of a proclamation. Now I've got some other things kind of in the works, just even things I've been thinking about, but this is the first one because I'm living it right now. So I'm doing what I can to see what we can do to fix this thing. And have no fear, Mr. Fix-It is here. So if you've got some things that you think I should fix, You got something going on. Hey, what do you think about this? Give me a chance. Send it to either Clarksville Insider at Instagram, or you can email me at ClarksvilleInsider at Gmail. Thanks for listening. Thanks for coming along for the first installment in our Mr. Fix It series. And thanks for listening, and we will catch you next time, right here on Clarksville Insider.