Day 94

Today was pretty chill until last period. We recently moved some kids around between classes to try and group certain behavior problems and academic problems in a way that will allow us to prepare for the annual standardized test, but without exactly "tracking" kids into homogenous groups. Not easy! We've ended up with a couple small chill classes and a high-achievement class which is too big and where the behavior is off the chain. This is my last period class now, and I had to drop the hammer on them, and I wasn't in the mood. Mostly they just talk and pass notes: not as bad as some classes I've had, with the stabbings and chair-throwing and whatnot, but in a single-step-down-from-GT class I expect a certain level of cooperation. If I don't get it, you get my displeasure. Which they got.

Now my throat hurts from yelling, but I got to chill out after school (and a long detention) because of crisis intervention training, where I learned some useful skills. Two more nights of that!

Got some good news: I have (so far) 10 passes on the latest Benchmark test, up from 8on the 2nd, and two of those are advanced scores, of which I had zero last time. Two of my kids scored so high that they are moving to GT, and I will miss them. I still have two kids who have been sick who are almost sure to ace the test as well, so I may almost double my proficients for the second cycle in a row. Even more exciting is the fact that I have many kids who moved dramatically in percentage from the 30s to the 50s. These kids are now "near-passes" with a shot at getting over the hump on the MSA test in March. And the principal said I have terrible data results! Nobody else is moving kids like I am...there are 2 advanced kids in the entire sixth grade: mine. There are 13 proficients, and ten of those are mine. I own 90% of the near-passes, many of whom were scoring in single-digits on the exams when I got them.

Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully there will be no insomnia tonight.