For Kindergarten teacher Patricia Morris, not using the Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading test, commonly known as FAIR - this year - is good news.
“It’s rather complicated, it’s very time consuming and it really takes time out the classroom where you could be working with children in a better way,” said kindergarten teacher, Patricia Morris.
FAIR faced several computer glitches, pushing the Florida Department of Education to pull the plug on the standardized test for just this school year.
The test requires teachers to evaluate students from kindergarten to second grade for 40 minutes individually each year.
Morris said the testing process is too draining for students, simply because it them pulls them out of their natural learning environment.
“It was exhausting for them; it wasn’t an enjoyable activity,” said Morris.
Kirstin Parmentar knows what that’s like. One of her daughters used to take the test.
“I have seen her get discouraged and bored,” said Kirstin Parmentar.
Teachers will now work on using more informal ways of assessing.
Teachers at the district plan to replace FAIR by developing their own hands on projects that will help them asses the learning progress of their students.
The new process is something that Kirsten Parmentar said will help her second daughter who is now in kindergarten.
“When teachers pick out assessments that help them judge whether a child has met a learning goal or not, I think that’s much more valid and reliable, than a one size fits all assessment,” said Parmentar.
Teachers will still have to document students’ progress through The Work Sampling System known as WSS which is part of the FAIR. Those evaluations must be completed within the first 30 days of school.