Standardized Tests: What is the Standard?

Why the government wants to force standardized testing on young students is beyond me. I've been teaching for eight years and each year I dread the spring because of all of the testing we have to do.

People talk about how they don't like teachers "teaching to the test", but what they don't realize, is that teachers hate it even more than they do. We are forced to "teach to the test". Not by administration, but by the government. If our students score poorly on these standardized tests, like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the State Department of Education or another politically run office, will label that school as academically inferior. This labeling hurts the school, the students, teachers and even parents. It's not fair and should not be allowed to continue.

Unfortunately, schools even use the scores to help decide whether a child passes to the next grade or not. It's not the only determining factor, but it is a factor. Grades, observation, and other performance methods are considered, but many times, the standardized test will be the deciding factor.

The academic curriculum is modeled after these tests. This is another mistake we are allowing to happen. Instead of a loose outline of what should be taught at each grade level, each state has a curriculum that schools must follow. Each item in the curriculum is something that "might" show up on the test, so it has to be taught. This takes control away from the teachers. We are not able to take advantage of a "teachable moment" because we must follow our strict schedule. If we get away from our schedule, we might miss that one item that might show up on the test. Teaching is no longer enjoyable for the teachers and learning is not enjoyable for the students. I've found over the years, that when I show enthusiasm about a subject, the children reflect that enthusiasm. If I'm excited to teach them something, they are excited to learn it. Since I must "teach to the test" now, I have lost my enthusiasm. Thus, the children never get to experience it. Teaching in the United States is becoming a lost art. So is learning. Students today are less prepared for college, work and the real world. I believe it is because of all of the tests we give.

Not only is it too much testing, but we've lost the basics. Used to, kindergarten was a year spent learning ABC's, 123's, colors and most importantly, socialization. Now all of that and more is expected from 3 and 4 year olds in pre-school. What about all of the children who don't go to pre-school? They are left behind. We try to cram too much too soon inside their little brains. Instead of making them smarter, we are creating children who are frustrated and confused. Children learn so much better when they are not forced. They naturally want to learn, but we're managing to turn that around. We turn them against learning at an early age. Too much is not a good thing. There is such a thing as too much education.

Schools that have low-income and minority students tend to be hurt by these tests more than any other school. These students already have a disadvantage because money is always a concern in the student's home or maybe their parents are too young. So many factors play into this. I teach in one of these schools and I can see how the family and culture background makes a difference. I'm not saying that these are bad families, what I'm trying to say, is that there is a cycle. Many of my students' parents are young. They are uneducated and many do not work. If they had recieved a good education in school, their children wouldn't be following in their footsteps. One reason they don't get a good education is because of lack of proper socialization, which should have started at least by kindergarten. These students were forced into a room of strangers, given lessons they didn't understand and not given the chance to find out how to get along with others. The basics and socialization are key to a good education.

Standardized tests remove all basic skills and socialization. It tests memory, not knowledge. It encourages too much academically, while neglecting the student developmentaly. It does not encourage the student to think, but to learn by rote. Once the test is taken, the child discards what he/she has learned because it is no longer needed. Life skills are not tested, nor can be, but these are the skills that are important. Being able to think a problem through and then being able to come up with a solution. Finding out that solution doesn't work and having to think of another. That's what our children need to learn. Hot to think for themselves. So many times, I give out work and the student doesn't look at it or think about it before hollering - "I don't get it" or "Tell me the answer". It's not the students' fault, it is ours - together. We must make them think things through. Teach them to have patience and understanding. Throwing multiple choice items at them doesn't do that.

On my second graders test, listening skills is one section. Now, I agree, it is an important skill, but to the degree it is tested is not appropriate. For example, the students are shown three pictures. I must read a paragraph to them, such as: "Julie wanted to decorate the dining table. She told Amy to pick flowers for the vase. Then she had Ben get a garland to place down the length of the table. Julie wanted the dishes and silverware to be placed on place mats. What was Amy supposed to do? Fill in the circle that shows what Julie told Amy to do." Now, for seven and eight year olds, that isn't a short paragraph, that's a book. There are so many details that they don't know what to focus on. I'm not sure I would be able to answer correctly. This section has about 15 to 20 questions like this. Each as long or longer than my example. To me, this is not an appropriate way to test a second graders listening skill!

I believe that Americans like to over-complicate things. We analize too much and put too much pressure on our children. Let them be children! They all learn, just at different paces. Remember the acronym KISS? Keep it simple silly. We need to think of education that way. Sure, we guide them and help them, but let's stop over-complicating things!

What about other countries? How do they assess their students? Do they use standardized tests? No, they do not. Other countries that are economically advanced like the U.S., do not use these tests. They assess students by observation and performance. They have the students write thought provoking essays or do projects and activities to demonstrate their knowledge. What really puts the U.S. to shame, though, is when foreign students take one of our standardized tests, they score much higher than our own students who were "taught to the test". Why? Because these foreign students were taught to think and solve problems for themselves.

Resources:
www.fairtest.org