After 7 years in primary (2 years in K and 5 years in 1st), I am moving to 3rd grade this year. I am both nervous and excited at the same time. The biggest concern I think I have is the testing. We did test in first, but obviously not the state testing. I will have the benefit of a good teaching partner and literacy coordinator to help me on my journey, but it is still overwhelming. It wasn't my choice to move, and I am still struggling with the fact that I think my heart is in primary, but I need to let go and embrace this new experience I guess. Has anyone made a similar jump? Any advice?
I think testing is made out to be a bigger thing than it really is... I mean, it used to be big, but I think some of that intense focus on testing has died down with the passage of ESSA and the push for whole-child education. Of course, the test still matters, but it's not the only thing. All of this is dependent on your administration, though. Some admin still make it out to be a big thing, but I wouldn't get too worked up over it, unless they really pressure you about it.
