So it's not even close to state assessment time, but a friend sent me a link about a book a man is writing about if Standardized Test are hurting our students. It's more news from Michigan State University announcing the publishing of this book to be released in late September.
As an educator this is a big issue for everyone. I've still not made up my mind. Ask me during "testing season" (Feb. - Apr.) and I'll tell you they are the stupidest thing in the world. I mostly think they are stupid because they ask unrealistic questions of our students that they can only answer if we teachers "teach to the test." For example, my first year teaching I had to give a Social Studies assessment. The majority of the assessment was on material students had learned in 3rd through 5th grade. Hardly any of the questions were on Ancient Civilizations. Yes, our "standards" for 6th grade aren't all on Ancient Civilizations, but for the amount the curriculum has us cover there was not an equal amount of questions. It made my fellow 6th grade teacher and I feel blind sided. We felt that the only way that our students would pass this test was if we "taught to the test." We felt that it it wasn't fair to expect students to remember material they learned up to 4 years ago. Yes, I just said that. Students forget things. While I think that it is important that our students learn about our history they do forget it because what elementary age student goes around discussing the Boston Tea Party or the Revolutionary War on a daily basis? NONE and neither do most of you! Must be why they have postponed the Social Studies assessment for another 2 years. Someone finally got their point across, I hope, that this test isn't doing it's job.
How do we do a good job with testing our students? Is testing our students the best? Who are we really testing, our students or the teacher's ability to teach? Is it fair to have so many different tests in this country and so many teaching standards?
I am particularly sensitive to the issue of state standards opposed to national standards because some 40% of the population of my school is military. Meaning that these kids don't stay in the same school let alone same state for very long. This creates gaps in our childrens' education. What CA might think is important to teach, KS doesn't. 4th graders, for example, focus on CA history in CA, but KS doesn't teach about the Gold Rush or CA becoming a state. (Not that I know of any ways.) So if a student moves from KS to CA in the middle of the 4th grade, they are expected to pass the CA Social Studies assessment which focuses on CA history. Is this right or fair? NO!
Do I think testing our kids is the most horrible thing in the world. Not necessary, but we need to find a way to assess school achievement but not punish schools that have kids that struggle because of home life. How can you expect a student to demonstrate the schools good teaching habits if that child didn't get any sleep because he sleeps on the couch in his/her mom's mobile home and the parents stay up fighting or dealing drugs? Did the teacher not do her/his job as well because that child failed, but the child who went home to a secure house with a mom and dad, and their own room and got an solid 8 hours of restful sleep passed with flying colors?
As for "are we hurting our kids?" Well yes and no. Yes when schools are shut down or have funds taken from them for not passing state assessments. Some schools have wonderful teacher at it and do everything they can, but have a difficult time overcoming the outside influences of the neighborhood that the kids grow up in.
No because I think it makes schools/teachers accountable for their teaching. Not that I'm motivated to be a good teacher because I want my students to pass a test, but because I want my students to be successful and leave my classroom with the skills necessary to continue their lives.
So tell me what you think. Do you feel state assessments hurt our kids? Who teaches their kids the right way? Why do you feel it's the right way. I will tell you that while I visited Japan and spoke to many teachers and parents, they asked US what we did to make our kids so successful. Is this just a case of the grass is greener on the other side?
