Field Experience Report Sample

Introduction Throughout the fall semester of 2015, I completed field experience hours at an elementary school. During this time, I got to watch and participate in a teacher’s classroom. I saw how the teacher worked with her students, how the students reacted to certain actions, and I got to get hands on with some of the students.

Field Experience Site (North Jackson Elementary School) For my field experience hours I observed the school, North Jackson Elementary and the specific level of 3rd grade. This school is located in Talmo, Georgia and it is part of the Jackson County School System. North Jackson is small rural community school that is Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth grade. North Jackson was built in 1956 when a series of smaller schools

Even though this was not a standardized testing, also known as high-stakes testing, the students were noticeably timid and changed. This not only affects the students, but the teachers as well. I was also able to speak with the teacher on her thoughts about high-stakes testing. She said when the time comes around the students feel the pressure, but the teachers themselves feel more pressure. She also said that during the week of testing, it is chaos because there is so much stress in the school. When the students completed their test, they were released for P.E soon after. The teacher said that the students average out a C+ and a B. She also said that it is not because the students are not smart, it is because they feel so much pressure to pass that that feeling overcomes everything else. I found two different articles that talk about the expectations and problems with high stakes testing. In the first article, it discusses the impacts of these tests on students and where the problem really is. “High-stakes testing has… become the subject of investigation amongst many researchers (West 2010; Redell 2010; Amrein & Berliner, 2002) who focus on the consequences of high-stakes testing in terms of accountability, teaching and learning” (Minarechová 87). These high-stakes test, can affect the students grades as well their completion of grade level. Since theses test are basically a make or break, the pressure is on to advance to the next grade level. “High-stakes testing is associated with various consequences which may include “retention of students in grade before tests”, and suspension, expulsion or reclassification of students prior to testing (Amrein & Berliner, 2002)” (Minarechová 89). Not only do these test effect the students, they also effect the teachers as well. “Teachers, like students, find themselves under great pressure and stress due to high-stakes