Diane Ravitch, an NYU Historian and education expert, thinks testing in this country has "gotten out of control". Ravitch is author o
f "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education." In an
op-ed in the HuffingtonPost.com, she writes that our focus on testing is narrowing curriculum.
Ravitch writes:
Last year I exchanged emails with a high-ranking official at the US Department of Education. I complained that the accountability movement had gotten out of control, that too much time was spent preparing to take tests, learning to take tests, and taking tests, especially in low income districts. I said that the time spent on testing was reducing time for the arts, history, science, civics, geography, even physical education. Thus, kids have more tests and worse education.
His first response was "you measure what you treasure." I replied, "No, you cannot measure what you treasure." How do you measure, friendship, love, courage, honor, civility, love of learning? I suppose he was moved a little bit, because he replied, "How can we incentivize the teaching of the arts?" I should have given up then, but responded that you do some things not for economic reward, and not because they are utilitarian, but because they are right.
A couple of weeks ago, I participated in an event sponsored by the Economist magazine in New York City. As I waited to go on, the previous speaker talked enthusiastically about why we should look to the arts and artists as sources of inspiration, creativity, and innovation. When my panel started (billed as a "debate" between me and Eva Moskowitz, founder of Harlem Success Academy), the first question was: "How do you envision schooling five years from now?" Eva spoke of individualization and personalization. I predicted, based on current policies in the US, that kids will be drilled endlessly for the next test. That the machinery will be in place to measure and test, driving out innovation, creativity, and divergent thinking. This is not wise and it is not smart.
It's a frightening scenario. I hope I am wrong. If there is not a major change in federal education policy, this is the likely outcome of where we are heading.
With so much riding on test scores, who can blame administrators and teachers for focusing on testing? And with the Obama Administration's focus on using test scores for teacher evaluation, it seems like testing may get even more high stakes. Do you think it's too late to change course on testing? What do you see in your classrooms? Do you think a rich and varied curriculum is being sacrificed for filling in bubble sheets?
Posts
A kid needs to take a test to get admitted into Academically Talented in Norwalk. A kid needs to take the SAT, and score very well, to get into a selective college. The rest of the world, which we are a part of, make their kids take achievement tests (and we're not doing very well compared to them btw). A kid needs to pass the respective exams of their chosen professions, whether as a doctor, lawyer, fireman, teacher to become certified in their work and get the job. When you go to a doctor, don't you care if he passed his/her test? Do you worry if he was 'taught to the test' or is your main concern that he/she is capable of doing his job? Ravitch complains but doesn't really have solid suggestions on how to do it better. What good is that?
ReplyDeleteI agree with testing to a point, however, I feel like all the children are learning is how to "test well", pull up the stats, represent their demographic well. We are missing all the teachable moments, we are missing the ability to impart real life lessons, we have a bunch of children who can regurgitate facts, figures and fill in the bubbles, but cannot have an independent thought if you paid them. Yes, I do wonder if my doctor or lawyer was "taught to the test" because believe it or not, sometimes creative thought is necessary in both professions and if they are just learning the script, then let's just hire robots. In other countries children are offered a wide variety of learning experiences, both in and out of the classroom, humanities curricula still exist and children are allowed to think outside the box. I am grateful my child was, in elementary, and is now in middle school, a part of the Academically Talented program so she can receive an all around experience, however what about the hundreds of other children, including my younger daughter, who are not afforded such a luxury.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure where my previous post on this matter disappeared to. I will summarize a long explanation of testing in Norwalk only to say the the tests we give today really doesn't allow teaching to the test. Yes, we need to have students understand the format of the test,but it takes, for example, learning how to read with comprehension to be able to do well on the reading section of the CMT. The writing sample allows for creativity, but a student must learn to write well with details to pass this test.
ReplyDeleteI agree with 6:33. Connecticut's testing is rigorous, way more difficult than what is given in many other states. But it tests what you want your child to know. When you read a novel, don't you analyze how the character changes over the course of the book? Don't you look at a character and decide whether they are courageous, inquisitive, loyal, persistent, etc., and find evidence of this?
ReplyDeleteIf you go to a 7:00 p.m. movie that lasts for 1 hr. and 35 minutes, don't you need to know what time it will get out? We have to teach to it, but it isn't always a bad thing.
Those of us in schools have no choice: the tests are the way we are measured.