SOLSC #22 Capitals, lowercase, numbers, shapes

This writing topic actually bores me.  

I am frustrated to be writing about it.  

My school is abuzz with collecting data on students for a summary due at the end of March...and, thus, I have data on my mind.

I'm frustrated by the data I must submit.

Data I need to share for each child: 

their recognition of capital letters, lowercase letters, numerals, and shapes.

This really bothers me.

Why are we looking only at this?

Literacy and mathematics seem so much bigger than these.

Are they engaged by books?

Are they able to recall what happened in a book?

Do they predict what might happen?

Do they share their own stories?

Do they share things in proper sequence?

Do they pick up books when they are idle, and peruse the pages?

Do you hear them creating words to go along with the story?

Do they read things that you've posted on the wall?

Do they converse with you, back and forth, several times?

Do they count aloud? 

Do they count along with you?

Do you ever see or hear them counting? 

Is there any sense of one-to-one correspondence?

Can they keep rhythm, drum beat to songs?

Do they make patterns?

Do they make comparisons?

Do they make sets? Do you see them grouping similar things?

Do they enjoy building?  Do they make detailed structures?

What is the value of this data?  What does it show?

Things I've noticed - 

My students who speak more than one language have very weak scores in 

recognition of capital letters, lowercase letters, numerals, and shapes.  

(I'm not surprised - I think of it this way - these children have to learn at least twice as many as everyone else!)

My "different learners" haven't made very high scores on this 

recognition of capital letters, lowercase letters, numerals, and shapes.

Those who make high scores on 

recognition of capital letters, lowercase letters, numerals, and shapes

are not necessarily 

good conversationalists, 

thoughtful questioners,   

critical thinkers.

I see no correlation.  

Frightening thought:

Will low scores result in the expectation that I explicitly teach these things? 

Ugh.

I'm not upset that I have to collect data on 

recognition of capital letters, lowercase letters, numerals, and shapes.

I'm upset that this is the only data that I'm required to submit.

I simply do not understand why something so limited would be very informative.

I need to challenge this.

I need to question this.

I need to understand this.