How to Plan 4th Quarter Around Testing

Schedule Challenges.

​Are you a planner?  If you are, then you know all about my struggle.  Trying to plan my 4th quarter has become a real challenge this year. Let me tell you why.
 
My challenge isn’t content.  I know my content.  I know I will be teaching my unit on ancient Rome and I know I will be wrapping up the year with my simulation project.  I know each unit needs to be about 4 ½ weeks long. I have my beginning date and I have my end of the year date. 
 
So you might be wondering – what’s the big deal?  Well, the big deal is TESTING.  Not knowing the testing schedule has really thrown a wrench in my world! 

First of all, we have to proctor the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests.  These are tests given to students k-12, three times a year!  Yikes.  These tests take about 2 days for the students. But when you are testing multiple grade levels, it can affect multiple weeks of instruction since my entire school operates on a bell schedule.
 
Second, we proctor the Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools (PEAKS).  This is our state’s new standardized test.   Since it’s new this year, we (proctors) really have no idea what to expect or what challenges we may face or ultimately how much time it will need. Traditionally, standardized tests take 3 days for students to complete.  And again, with testing multiple grade levels that affect everyone’s bell schedule, who knows how much time it will really take from instruction.

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So the challenge:  When is this testing going to happen?  How much time will it take?  When will it fall in terms of my regular classroom instruction? How much condensing am I going to need to do to fit in all the time for testing? 
 
Yes.  A challenge in deed.
 
With what I know so far – what can I do? 
 
Well, I’m anticipating losing five days of lessons for testing.  So for now, I am looking at my two units and trying to decide which lessons can go, and which ones can be condensed. 
 
Honestly, that’s about all I can do for now.
 
But let’s look at other effects of this unknown schedule:
 
At the start of each unit, I provide my parents/students with a newsletter.  That newsletter includes what they need to know about the upcoming unit, including test dates….  Can you already see my issue?   I have no idea when my unit test date will be, because I have no idea when my unit instruction will be interrupted. 
 
So how do I deal with this?  Well, I decided to be very honest with my students.  I told them my dilemma.  I explained why I couldn’t give them a date.  So how do I help my students handle this?? 
 
I explained how important it is for them (students) to keep pace with what we are doing in class.  I provided a checklist for them on the board.  This checklist is basically a list of objectives for the unit which also includes quizzes and tests. 
 
So now students know to pay attention to our list – as we complete an objective, we cross it off the list.  Students can visually see when a quiz will be happening soon. 
 
I explained to students – as soon as we know when the testing will take place, we simply take a break from our unit.  But be prepared because we will pick up where we left off as soon as testing is done. 
 
It’s not ideal. There is a downfall.  Unfortunately, I can’t make adjustments in my unit to allow for appropriate content segmenting.  When you really look at your content, you can usually find a logical place to break.  This is super important for helping students find success.  This has been a struggle the past 3 years for me in my school district, because of testing schedule chaos. The end result:  students aren’t as successful with my unit content. 
 
However, this is the best system I have come up with that will allow me to be prepared, without driving myself crazy!  And I can get out and enjoy some spring time sunshine without feeling guilty!
What about you?  Is there a better way? Have you come up with a way to plan for testing schedules?  Hop on over to our Facebook Page and share your thoughts!!


​I know your teacher heart is full but your plate is overflowing! If you found this post helpful, I think you’ll love these other 'bestie-approved' resources. They’re designed to help you keep that momentum going without the burnout.

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Teaching with Textbooks | Teach Like Midgley

I’m Hillary Midgley, and I help teachers move from classroom chaos to streamlined success with no-frills systems that make managing student work easy. New here? Start with the Manage Student Work ebook.