State testing season is upon us. I don't know of many other things that produce more stress, anxiety, excitement, and uncertainty in the life of a school. End-of-year testing is the main event, the championship game, the finale. State test scores show us what students have learned, the effectiveness of instruction, and overall strengths and weaknesses for each content area. They help teachers determine growth over time, adjust instruction for the next school year, and select strategies to target a focus area. And YET... While scores from end-of-year tests provide teachers with valuable information that can be used to improve our practice, they are not the gospel. Regardless of pressure that we feel from the state, from district personnel, or even from our own drive towards self-improvement, we need to understand that one score from one day cannot fully define a student or a teacher. The characteristics listed in the graphic above are measured in a variety of ways, and ...