The ISTEP+ (A.K.A the Former ISTEP)

We all dread it, those five little letters that can immediately cause anxiety and stress to any teacher.  You guessed it, ISTEP+!  Since I began teaching, the ISTEP has changed to ISTEP+. With the addition of the plus sign, I thought this would be a flashier, better version of the ISTEP, you know, one that would excite students and teachers alike.  Come to find out, it is basically the same test with a + sign.

Each year, I spend countless hours of my time stressing about this test that essentially tells the state whether I am an exemplary teacher or if I should be ran out of town for being such a horrible human being, as I am sure many of you do as well.  Therefore, in lieu of the upcoming week of testing, I thought I would share the link to my review sheets that I use with students each year before the multiple-choice section of the test.   

The math review sheet will be given to students to work on and then we will go over it in class.  After we go over it, I usually send it home so students can look over it before the test.  Sometimes, I give them extra credit points if their parents sign that they spent some time reviewing it.  

Math ISTEP+ Student Review Packet

 The science sheet will be a quick review that we will go over in class and then they can take home to review.  If their parents sign that they spent 30 minutes reviewing it, I give them extra credit points.   

 Science ISTEP+ 6th Grade Student Skill Pack

 These definitely are not activities I look forward to, but I guess they are necessary evil in preparing students for the ISTEP+ (formerly, the ISTEP, but now better because it has a +.)

The Beginning

For some time, we have kicked around the idea of sharing the lessons we have learned in the middle school classroom.  Middle school students are a unique set of characters.  They are past the age of being teacher-pleasers, like they were in elementary, and not yet to the maturity level of high school students.  They are, essentially, somewhere in the middle.  Therefore, the middle school teacher is someone who walks the line between the “come here and give me a hug’ elementary teacher and the “you are old enough to get this” high school teacher.  And trust me, some days we have to be more of one than the other.  (Although, we will openly admit that we could never be the quintessential hugging elementary teachers.  What can we say? We value personal space.)  Most importantly, we believe that a middle school teacher, actually any teacher, has to have a sense of humor.  Otherwise, the daily grind of dealing with pre-pubescent children would eat you alive.  Since we are middle school teachers, and therefore, a little bit crazy, we are starting this blog hoping that we will be able to reach out to other crazy middle school teachers, share what we have learned along the way, and maybe bring some laughter to the middle…