Speaking of the OAT, which I just briefly mentioned in my previous post, now that my entire school is focused on taking the test and is currently spending every class period reviewing for it, may I just say that I hate it when people call it the "OAT" instead of the "O-A-T?" No one says, "I have to take the SAT," or "I can't go to the party Friday night because I have to take my ACT on Saturday morning." No. People say "S-A-T" or "A-C-T." In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, most educational abbreviations are pronounced by the letter and not as an acronym. For example: I-E-P, M-F-E, I-D-E-A, B-L-T, L-P-D-C, O-D-E, S-L-T, O-T, P-T. Granted, one probably could not pronounce BLT or LPDC as a word, but the norm in the educational world is to just say the letters.
Saying we need to prepare for the "OAT" just has a folksy/hickish feel to it. Try it. Say "Class, in two weeks you will be taking the O-A-T, " and then say, "Class, in two weeks you will be taking the OAT." Pronouncing the word "oat" just makes the test sound completely dorky.
Although the test is now called the OAT, and has been, I believe, updated and retooled in other ways, I'm glad to say that if I were to take the test today, I would knock it out of the park. I know, I am a college graduate, and should, therefore, easily pass all five parts of the test, but reading through the test with the students has only reaffirmed my conviction that if one is unable to pass the OAT, and consequently, the OGT, one does not deserve to graduate from high school. It seems like every year (mainly because it IS every year) that people make a fuss about the seniors in high school who are unable to graduate with the rest of their senior class because of their inability to pass a simple test.
I'm also taken aback by the teachers I work with at the middle school who will read through the test and then make statements like, "I'm glad I don't have to take this test," or "I'm not sure if I could pass this test." Some of them are kidding, but some of them are not...and that's pretty terrifying. Smarten up! Go eat some Cheerios or something, I think they're made with OATs.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I have heard of another OGT prep program. It's computer-based and attempts to tailor the work to a specific student's background and the part of Ohio in which they live. It is called the Biographical Regional Activity Network (BRAN) If you used that program along with what you are doing now, you would have OAT BRAN. I assume that the students' thought processes would become more "regular".
That was TERRIBLE, Dad...even for you!!
I don't know, I'd kind of dig it if the teachers at school started saying "OAT BRAN" in class.
Post a Comment