Putnam Schools Launching Assessment Committee

The Putnam County School System is establishing an Assessment Committee, designed to evaluate and revise the district’s testing calendar.

5-12 Curriculum Supervisor Bubba Winningham said the district is testing more than ever. He said the committee will work to ensure that the district does not schedule tests that overlap with state-mandated assessments. He said parents and teachers have been vocal about the amount of testing going on, and the district is well aware.

“Some of those, we have no control over because they’re state-mandated,” Winningham said. “But the district ones, we want to make sure that we sit down, look at the windows, and make sure that we’re giving kids the best possible options for when to take those tests.”

Winningham said the committee will look to provide more testing breaks for students by cleaning up the district testing calendar. He said it would explore methods of achieving the goals of some assessments through regular lessons and instructional time.

He said testing throughout the year provides educators with valuable data from their students. He said TCAP is often referred to as an autopsy, but with routine testing during the year, teachers can be more prepared for outcomes of end-of-year assessments.

“We’re now able, throughout the year, to make sure that we’re hitting those targets, or possibly, not hitting those targets, and intervene at those different times throughout the year,” Winningham said.

Winningham said the district wants teachers to use the testing data to make proper adjustments throughout the year and give students their best chance for success on TCAP, but the committee will help map out those tests so that they make the most sense for students and educators alike.