This year, I was finally given a Civics EOC class to teach. There are only two subjects in middle school that have an EOC (End of Course exam); Algebra I and Civics. These EOC's are a remnant of a time several years ago when the state decided to cut out teacher raises, and instead pay only teachers who showed that their students could perform well in subject tests. Algebra and Civics were the pilot subjects for this, and even though the other subject tests never materialized, the money that was once used for raises had disappeared as well.
I have a person from the district assigned to me who shows up every couple of weeks to perform model lessons, suggest strategies and resources, and monitor the performance of my students. When we completed the second district mandated online mini-assessment of the year, the scores of my students were atrocious, lower than the school and district average by a longshot.
Teaching Civics effectively to the test is something that will take years to master. I am learning little by little as I go. For example, when I started the year, I didn't know which online resources to use, or which were the best, or what they provided, and there are so many, I didn't have time to go through them all. (I literally found out I was teaching Civics on the first day of actual school, when the 7th graders walked into my classroom during first period, where I had had my syllabus for the 6th grade US history class already prepared to be passed out, and had to wing it.)
Also, the Civics textbook that we adopted several years ago before the concept of the EOC exam came out does not align with our curriculum at all. There are many superfluous chapters. They relevant ones are completely out of order. There is some information that is completely lacking. There was a second book that they began using to teach the subject a few years after that, but my school did not have a class set for me. The teacher next door, the only other teacher at my school that teaches the subject, begrudgingly gave me a copy of one from her class set, so that I could at least make copies from it.
There is a list of about 30 benchmarks that the students are expected to master. I had been planning my lessons according to these benchmarks, but I did not share the benchmarks with the students. I realize now that that was a mistake. They should be aware of the specific goals are before we start the lesson. I also struggled to find a way to assess their learning in such a way that models the type of questions that they will have on their EOC. The assessments that come with our textbook are of no benefit. The test questions I come up with do not match the complexity level of the EOC exam. So, I found that even after a lesson, retention level seems to be very low.
While teaching this civics class, I am also teaching a new World History class that I have to make up lessons, powerpoints, worksheets, activities, and tests all from scratch. Although I do see myself eventually perfecting the way I can teach this civics class to maximize student learning and achievement, it is something that will not happen this year, and will take time.
However, I do feel the need to point out that at the end of the day, students are responsible for their own learning. As a teacher, I prepare the lessons, I show them where to read and what resources they can use. I go over the material, give them activities that reinforce what they learn. Test them, and help show them where they are deficient in. But learning is something that every student must do for themselves. They have to actually read the materials. They have to actually do the work, and do it for mastery. They have to study and think about what they have learned.
If my students do not perform well on a district exam, that I know in my heart is designed to be well above their level, but I did everything I could to prepare them, then I don't feel bad. I have been a student before, and good or bad teacher, good or bad lesson, I always learned in my class, because I took it upon myself to do so.
