To Test or not to Test

 


To Test or Not to Test

Every year the schools prepare student to take their statewide test. The adoption of a test-driven educational system creates unhealthy competition between schools. This competition has led to inappropriate preparation strategies such as spending excessive amounts of time on tested content to the exclusion of mandated curricula. Some teachers also teach to the test, that is, they train students by using actual or look-alike items from previous assessments (Popham, 2001). Our district has spent a ridiculous amount of money on programs and training on how to be a better test taker. Each year we would stop teaching our regular curriculum and do test prep. We had books and workbooks for each of the students. The test is supoosed to help the teacher and the school with finding out where the studetn is struggling in abd find a way to help the studetn suceed in that area next year. The problem is with teachers getting new curriculum or being moved to another grade level it is hard for teachers to know exactly what didn't go well. That's what classroom tests do. It gives the teacher a better understanding of where the student didn't understand something and if the teacher needs to reteach the concept differently. 
As a special education teacher, I adapt and modify my students' tests to check for their understanding of the concept that was taught. The student can give me the answers in various ways. They can give the answer to me on the computer, verbally, or on paper. But when it comes to the state test the only way to give the answer is on the computer. The students who can't recognize letters or numbers struggle with finding how to answer the question. The students who cannot spell end up getting a lower score even though it is the correct answer but just spelled incorrectly. While others stress to make sure they get to the top of the percentile for their grade level. Classifying a student based on his or her performance at one point is analogous to a doctor diagnosing a patient with high blood pressure based on one reading. Just as a patient’s blood pressure will fluctuate over time, so too will a student’s performance. Factors such as test anxiety adversely affect student performance (Hardy, 2003,). The scores should be based on the classroom performance test as well on the state test to determine what percentile the student belongs to. However, critics argue that it places too much emphasis on test scores and does not accurately reflect student learning. (Wright, 2023). Besides, the only ones who truly care about the statewide scores are the school, the district, and the state. The majority of students and parents don't. The test score for the state is not even taken into consideration when applying for college. 

Do you think statewide tests are just competition for the states?
What do you think about giving students the statewide test?
What about our special education students? Is it fair to give them a "grade-level" state test?


https://sites.google.com/eagles.cui.edu/marilyngubac/blogs
References

Hardy, L. (2003). Overburdened, overwhelmed. American School Board Journal, 190(4), 18-23.

Popham, W. J. (2001). Teaching to the test. Educational Leadership, 58(6), 16-20.

Wright, S. (2023). The effects of standardized testing on student learning and teacher instruction. In Research & Reviews: Research Journal of Educational Studies, Research & Reviews: Research Journal of Educational Studies (Vol. 9, Issue 1) [Journal-article]. https://doi.org/10.4172/JES.9.1.005

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Second Sunday of May

Image
  Second Sunday of May, U.S. celebration What's right after Teacher Appreciation Week? Yes, it's Mother's Day, how convenient, since most teachers are considered mothers. Some of the teachers are more respected than their actual mothers. But this blog isn't about that; it's about whether or not you should celebrate it by making gifts for your students' mothers or not.  The history behind Mother's Day in the US is sad. In 1907, Anna Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother’s Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia, to celebrate Mother’s Day on the second anniversary of her mother’s death, which is the 2nd Sunday of May.  It was successful, as by 1911 Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother’s Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. He established the day as a ...
Read more

Ideas for Administrators for Teacher Relaxation

Image
                                        Take the time to relax your staff     It's not easy being in education. You have lesson plans, student issues, administration issues, district issues, and the list goes on and on. Then you come home and have to  cook, wash, help kids with their homework, grade papers, etc. But you can't let it get to you. You need to take the time to decompress and let yourself relax. But you have no time. The only time you have to yourself is the drive home.  And you don't want to risk taking off and using a sick day. What can you do? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”  This resource defines well-being in terms of the broad concept of ‘feeling good and functioning well. In other words, a ...
Read more

CHRISMAHANUKWANZAKAH

Image
      Should Chrismahanukwanzakah be Allowed in Public Schools? Happy  Chrismahanukwanzakah !  Chrismahanukwanzakah  is a blend, in word and concept, of three holidays: the Christian Christmas, the Jewish Hanukkah and the African American Kwanzaa.  Chrismahanukwanzakah  is meant to be an inclusive celebration around December holidays for friends and family of diverse, interfaith backgrounds. It’s often used playfully, though, as a way to offset the dominance of Christmas in culture (Dictionary.com, 2021). Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have always been celebrated at my school. I grew up with my grandmother on my father's side. My grandma was a Jehovah Witness. I was always jealous going to my friend's house around the holidays and seeing all the beautiful decorations. When I was young, I never understood why we couldn't decorate as they did. I would bring home the holiday things we made in school and put hang them up in the house. And the ne...
Read more