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Parent urges district to give teachers flexibility, study guides for mandated unit tests
Summary
A Marrington Middle School parent told the board mandated district formative assessments (DFAs) sometimes include material not taught in class and asked the board to allow testing windows and provide study guides.
BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. — Angela Grissino, a parent of two students at Marrington Middle School, told the Berkeley County Board of Education on Sept. 15 that district-mandated district formative assessments (DFAs) sometimes test material that teachers had not covered in class.
Grissino said both of her children are performing well in class but were failing some DFAs because teachers had not been able to cover all unit material before the assessment date. "On her social studies test, only 3 of the 19 questions that were on the test were covered in class and had notes that they were able to study," Grissino said. She said six questions on that test were not covered at all and seven were not discussed in a notebook the student could use to study.
Grissino urged the board to give teachers a testing window rather than a single mandated date so teachers can "catch up with material or have days to review it," and to provide study guides that match what is recorded in students' notebooks. She said the issue is causing stress for students and could affect grade-point averages and scholarship opportunities.
When asked by a board member what grade the daughter is in, Grissino said her daughter is in sixth grade and her son is in eighth grade. She also confirmed DFA stands for district formative assessment. The board offered to meet with her after the meeting to discuss the concerns further.
