MCAS and, of course, February Break

It's winter in Boston and MCAS testing is approaching- the Super Bowl for charter schools, the big Massachusetts standardized test. The test is especially important for charter schools, because that is how they (and the state) gauge their success. So, with the first MCAS test less than a month away, it's crunch-time at the Community Day Charter Public School to get the children ready. We have been doing benchmark tests, much like mock-MCAS, to get a sense of where they stand and formulate individualized interventions in the areas where each students needs help. It is a lot of work, but right in the middle came one of the biggest perks of teaching- February break. I had all of last week off, and took full advantage by getting out of Boston and heading down to visit my sister who is living in Belize. I had an amazing time, and now I am back and definitely refreshed. Now it's time to gear up for MCAS. It has been rewarding seeing the students I work with in small groups do progressively better on the benchmark testing, and with a little work I hope they'll all be able to exceed their MCAS goals. Both students and teachers have been working hard all year, so it's an exciting time to be here at CDCPS.