testing!?

Tour…testing

I helped give my first standardized test…who knew there was such a thing in Chuuk? (well based on the fact that FSM models everything after the United States, I guess it should not have been that big of a surprise to me)

Picture this…your handed a test that is in a language you barley know and your expected to do it. (If I was given a test in Chuukese…I would want to cry!)

Even though these students have been learning English since kindergarten, they most definitely are not fluent. A majority of my students cannot read. If they can read, they have trouble comprehending. Even more of my students have a hard time writing in English.

The test is to gauge how well the students know English, which I understand to a degree. (the test was way to advanced for their level of English knowledge)

However, the majority of public school students in Chuuk are at the level of a low 5^th grader in America; based on what I have seen so far. (instead of giving the 5^th graders a test that you would give an American 5^th grader, they probably should have given them a test that would be for the level of an American 1^st or 2^nd grader-that would have been a more accurate gauge of their knowledge)

I felt bad because I could see that they were very confused.

I could say that testing them is not fair (which it is not) but at least it gives me some data to use in deciding what I want to focus the most on teaching them.

I have a lot of work to do…but I love teaching kids!