News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Overton County Kindergarten students and teachers will have more time for learning with student growth portfolios being held harmless this year.
Overton County Education Association President Jennifer Eilender said doing this will save teachers hours of work.
“I feel personally, and I think the kindergarten teachers feel this way as well, is that the time that they are pulled away to complete these portfolios could be so much better spent with instruction with those kids,” Eilender said. “Because, they have already missed a lot.”
According to the state department of education, all kindergarten students are evaluated at the beginning of school each year. Then, four students are selected for a post evaluation when learning is complete. Eilender said second screenings are one on one and take teachers away from the classroom.
“That consists of having to work individual with those students while giving other members of the class some kind of work to keep them busy,” Eilender said. “So that they can focus on one student. So, it takes time away from the whole class for that teacher to assess those students, and it is not a situation where a teacher is teaching those students something extra. That teacher is just testing that student to see what they know.”
Eilender said recordings, videos and tests of math, writing and ELA standards make up the portfolio. Eilender said the portfolio is used by the state to evaluate teachers, not students.
