standardized testing

[momz]

It's that time of year in my state. The first round of testing starts next week. The school is, of course, making it out to be overly important. Like the child's entire future is dependant upon their performance on this test.

I remember taking a standardized test when I was a kid, but I also remember the teachers telling me not to worry about it, just do my best.

That is NOT the message my kids are getting these days. They hype it up to the extreme! The have pep rallys all week. They have special spirit days all week. They have a parade through the halls for each grade. One grade each day walks through the halls while all the other grades line the halls and cheer like banshees.

This is sooo over the top! We've been asked to write our child a "special letter" full of encouragment for them to read each day before starting the test. We are even supposed to decorate the paper that the letter is written on.

I don't have a problem encouraging my child to do his best, but all this hooplah is over the top extreme and is stressing my kids out! One of them especially.

Each year when the scores come out, there are announcements and bragging along with back slapping for all the teachers about how wonderful the school is...blah blah blah...

Who cares! I want the school to teach my children academics. The goal is to raise them to be contributing members of society. Honestly, I don't even have a problem with testing their knowlege. The problem I have is with the competitive nature of it all and the extreme importance that is placed on this test. It seems that nothing else matters but the test. And how our school measures up to the others. I assume it's about $$$.

 

[superme80]

I went to private school thru 8th grade and we had to do testing every year. The teacher never taught the test. What we learned during the year helped us pass the test. It was no big deal. Just a fact of life. I was tested every year when I was homeschooled. It was a week of not doing anything but the test. The letter thing made me giggle. These test are taken way to seriously. I understand it is about funding, but man what a production.

 

[Turn the Page]

I went to private school thru 8th grade and we had to do testing every year. The teacher never taught the test. What we learned during the year helped us pass the test. It was no big deal. Just a fact of life. I was tested every year when I was homeschooled. It was a week of not doing anything but the test. The letter thing made me giggle. These test are taken way to seriously. I understand it is about funding, but man what a production.

They take them seriously now though. About a month ago I had to have a meeting with DD's 1st grade teacher. DD had taken three standardized reading tests and tested at grade level on all but one section of one test so the teacher wanted to put her in Title I remedial reading.

I did a lot of research on the Dibels test and found it is very controversial and the section she failed is even more controversial. They basically give the kids a list of nonsense words and give them one minute to read them as fast as they can. If they sound the words out they don't count it. The teacher told me the reason she did poorly on that section was because she was sounding the words out and trying to assign meaning to what she was reading which of course she couldn't do because the words didn't mean anything. After discussing it with some other teachers I decided not to put her in Title I and told her teacher we would work with her more at home and if she didn't improve we would revisit the issue at a later date. I don't think she was too happy with that.

 

[Mkrop]

This is one of the reasons I prefer Catholic School. Ours are next week as well and except for 3 Math packets that have come home and some grammar drills, there has been absolutely NO pressure about these tests.

And our school performs quite well on them.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think the problem is a number of years ago people complained that teachers weren't teaching what the kids needed to know. So "the powers that be" decided "OK, we have these standardized tests, that will show whether the kids know the stuff, so if the kids do well, we'll reward the teachers. If they don't do well, we'll punish them."

So now the teachers & schools have a vested interest in how the kids are doing. Blame parents wanting "teacher accountability" so many years ago.

My .02.

 

[taylor3297]

No Child Left Behind is one of the main causes due to each school needing to make AYP.

 

[Piper]

write to your legislators--they think testing is the be all and end all. Everything is tied to it. Ridiculous!

 

[friend of pooh]

Many states have now tied teacher evaluations and pay those tests. So if the kids don't do well on the test, teachers will lose pay. The government does't care if Sally was sick that day or Johnny's dad got arrested last night, or Suzy didnt have anything to eat or if Joe is just a bad test taker. Everything comes down to the test. Wouldn't you try to get the kids interested and excited about the test to entice them to do well if your family depended on it?

 

[LongLiveDisney]

Many states have now tied teacher evaluations and pay those tests. So if the kids don't do well on the test, teachers will lose pay. The government does't care if Sally was sick that day or Johnny's dad got arrested last night, or Suzy didnt have anything to eat or if Joe is just a bad test taker. Everything comes down to the test. Wouldn't you try to get the kids interested and excited about the test to entice them to do well if your family depended on it?

Exactly. Here in Texas, the state tests are so much pressure it's insane. A new rule was implemented now that for the high schoolers taking the state test, they must get a certain amount of total points by their senior year to GRADUATE. So now not only do the kids have to worry about passing the SATs, they have to worry about whether or not they will GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL if they don't do well on the test. Ridiculous.

 

[Pigeon]

Write your legislators. The teachers are evaluated on it and school funding is tied to it. Education "reform" is destroying education.

 

[UConnFan]

This is a heated topic in the world of education. I'm a special education teacher, so this is especially important in my line of work. Schools put so much pressure on this for lots of reasons. The main reason is funding. Without getting political, NCLB makes it so schools who under perform on standardized testing lose financial support. So, the schools who need the most help (because they are under performers), lose money. It's such a backwards system.

Some teacher evals are beginning to put emphasis on student performance on standardized tests, which is (in my opinion), ridiculous. First of all, the curriculum is not necessarily tied to the test, so kids are tested on things they are not learning (although, we all know this isn't the case any more). Secondly, standardized tests are not usually reliable or valid (DIBELS are pretty awful...I could rant on that on its own), which means the test does not show what the student actually knows. It's not a fair assessment of what a child knows because there are so many factors that may influence a child's performance (did they eat breakfast? sleep? are they ELLs?). In my experience, if the child has an IEP or is an ELL, they usually take the test on a computer (even if that is not included in their IEP). That means the child is being tested on their ability to use a computer more than their knowledge of the material. We spend so much time talking about using multiple data points in order to see the child as a whole, yet this one test, one snippet of time, has so much influence on the school and the district. In most states, high school students must pass the test to graduate, as well, so there's that.

Sorry to rant. I'm pretty passionate about this. I haven't even gotten into the negative effects of standardized testing on students and schools.

ETA: If you haven't read about Common Core State Standards, you may want to. Things will be changing because of CCSS. My state standardized test will be changing to align with the CCSS within the next few years. (I've heard it will likely be computerized, which adds more financial strain to already under-funded schools. Plus, the above mentioned tech issues).

 

[Gumbo4x4]

My wife is tasked with logging the scores. Year after year, the kids who do exceptionally well on these tests are the same ones who are at the top of their classes in other areas as well. One day, these same kids will take SATs and/or ACTs - the ultimate in standardized tests. Yeah, sometimes it seems to be taken too seriously, but these things are a fairly good barometer overall.

 

[taylor3297]

This is a heated topic in the world of education. I'm a special education teacher, so this is especially important in my line of work. Schools put so much pressure on this for lots of reasons. The main reason is funding. Without getting political, NCLB makes it so schools who under perform on standardized testing lose financial support. So, the schools who need the most help (because they are under performers), lose money. It's such a backwards system.

Some teacher evals are beginning to put emphasis on student performance on standardized tests, which is (in my opinion), ridiculous. First of all, the curriculum is not necessarily tied to the test, so kids are tested on things they are not learning (although, we all know this isn't the case any more). Secondly, standardized tests are not usually reliable or valid (DIBELS are pretty awful...I could rant on that on its own), which means the test does not show what the student actually knows. It's not a fair assessment of what a child knows because there are so many factors that may influence a child's performance (did they eat breakfast? sleep? are they ELLs?). In my experience, if the child has an IEP or is an ELL, they usually take the test on a computer (even if that is not included in their IEP). That means the child is being tested on their ability to use a computer more than their knowledge of the material. We spend so much time talking about using multiple data points in order to see the child as a whole, yet this one test, one snippet of time, has so much influence on the school and the district. In most states, high school students must pass the test to graduate, as well, so there's that.

Sorry to rant. I'm pretty passionate about this. I haven't even gotten into the negative effects of standardized testing on students and schools.

ETA: If you haven't read about Common Core State Standards, you may want to. Things will be changing because of CCSS. My state standardized test will be changing to align with the CCSS within the next few years. (I've heard it will likely be computerized, which adds more financial strain to already under-funded schools. Plus, the above mentioned tech issues).

Amen!

 

[scrapquitler]

It's that time of year in my state. The first round of testing starts next week. The school is, of course, making it out to be overly important. Like the child's entire future is dependant upon their performance on this test.

I remember taking a standardized test when I was a kid, but I also remember the teachers telling me not to worry about it, just do my best.

That is NOT the message my kids are getting these days. They hype it up to the extreme! The have pep rallys all week. They have special spirit days all week. They have a parade through the halls for each grade. One grade each day walks through the halls while all the other grades line the halls and cheer like banshees.

This is sooo over the top! We've been asked to write our child a "special letter" full of encouragment for them to read each day before starting the test. We are even supposed to decorate the paper that the letter is written on.

I don't have a problem encouraging my child to do his best, but all this hooplah is over the top extreme and is stressing my kids out! One of them especially.

Each year when the scores come out, there are announcements and bragging along with back slapping for all the teachers about how wonderful the school is...blah blah blah...

Who cares! I want the school to teach my children academics. The goal is to raise them to be contributing members of society. Honestly, I don't even have a problem with testing their knowlege. The problem I have is with the competitive nature of it all and the extreme importance that is placed on this test. It seems that nothing else matters but the test. And how our school measures up to the others. I assume it's about $$$.

In MY STATE, the standardized tests are to evaluate the teacher and the curriculum. They don't matter to the student, they have no bearing on the student's grade, advancement to the next grade or anything of that sort. I do realize that is NOT the case in every state, but in mine it is.

I stressed to my daughter that I wanted her to do well on these tests, but that they were to evaluate the teacher and the curriculum and they were NOT a reflection on her personally. She was still stressed because of all the hype that you mention. She was (and still is) a kid that doesn't need the stress and doesn't deal well with it.

I hate that they spend so much time preparing for, practicing for and talking about these tests. My kid needs to learn things, not only 'test taking strategies'. Geesh... Now she's a Junior and the only test we have left to worry about is the SAT. She knows that that one DOES matter, and that it is to evaluate HER. She also, however, knows that the colleges are not going to consider only that.

 

[taylor3297]

In MY STATE, the standardized tests are to evaluate the teacher and the curriculum. They don't matter to the student, they have no bearing on the student's grade, advancement to the next grade or anything of that sort. I do realize that is NOT the case in every state, but in mine it is.

I stressed to my daughter that I wanted her to do well on these tests, but that they were to evaluate the teacher and the curriculum and they were NOT a reflection on her personally. She was still stressed because of all the hype that you mention. She was (and still is) a kid that doesn't need the stress and doesn't deal well with it.

I hate that they spend so much time preparing for, practicing for and talking about these tests. My kid needs to learn things, not only 'test taking strategies'. Geesh... Now she's a Junior and the only test we have left to worry about is the SAT. She knows that that one DOES matter, and that it is to evaluate HER. She also, however, knows that the colleges are not going to consider only that.

The tests are also used for AYP for NCLB.

 

[leebee]

I, too, work in special ed, and I think the standardized tests are SUCH a waste of time. They create useless data that school funding is tied to (yes, I ended my sentence with a preposition ). All my kids have to take the NECAP or NWEA, in their classroom (unless they have accommodations for needing quiet space or extra time), at grade level, even though they are in special ed and we KNOW they aren't close to grade level; in fact, they usually have to be 2 levels behind to qualify for sp. ed. We know these kids learn differently, so we teach them differently... but we TEST them exactly the same way we test non-learning-challenged kids. There ARE alternate tests, but unless a child is 100% contained, and usually mentally challenged (I don't know what the PC term is, now that we cannot use MR) or significantly autisic, they will not qualify to take the alternate assessment. Almost all of my kids will test significantly below the standard, which will reflect poorly on the special ed program and its teachers, and will drag the school's rating down, too... to say nothing about what it'll do for the students' morale.

SO... a 4th grade student who is at mid-1st grade level in math and reading (because of limited functional/working memory) will take the 4th grade standardized tests. We can read the questions aloud to this student on the math and writing sections, so there's a chance the student will maybe understand what is being asked, but cannot read the reading test passages or questions, because reading ability is what is being tested. Is there any question of the outcomes for this student??

Oh yes, tying school funding to standardized test performance is SUCH a good idea... not...

 

[UConnFan]

...at grade level, even though they are in special ed and we KNOW they aren't close to grade level

Oh man, I didn't even include that in my rant. There are so many layers to this nasty beast!

The term of the day is "Intellectual disability" or ID.

 

[Pigeon]

My wife is tasked with logging the scores. Year after year, the kids who do exceptionally well on these tests are the same ones who are at the top of their classes in other areas as well. One day, these same kids will take SATs and/or ACTs - the ultimate in standardized tests. Yeah, sometimes it seems to be taken too seriously, but these things are a fairly good barometer overall.

They are a fairly good barometer of how well kids take standardized tests.

 

[scrapquitler]

The tests are also used for AYP for NCLB.

Yes, I am well aware of that. Again, evaluation of the teacher, the school, the curriculum and the methods, but NOT the individual student.

 

[luvmy2sams]

They are a fairly good barometer of how well kids take standardized tests.

Bingo! I absolutely loathe multiple choice exams for this very reason. All they show in many cases is that students are good at eliminating possibilities and/or guessing.

I'm a 5th grade teacher, and our state has an unbelievable emphasis on standardized testing. I literally spend hours each week charting and graphing each of my students' progress on each standard being taught. This paperwork is presented each Friday morning during a grade-level meeting where I have to explain why Johnny, who is on an IEP and so hyperactive that he literally bounces in his chair all day, chose "B" as his favorite letter and thus scored a 40 on that week's assessment. I am required to follow a pacing calendar that allows 4 days of teaching followed by an assessment day. Sometimes there are 3-4 standards required to be taught in each subject within those 5 days. Any student making less than a 60 on the 5 question assessment is put into remediation the following week, which I am somehow supposed to squeeze into the 60 minutes I am allowed to teach a given subject during the day.

I have students who cannot multiply 2 * 3 without drawing pictures, but I am supposed to show mastery of three-digit by two-digit division in 4 days. As an added bonus, my teaching certificate number is attached to each child's state testing. Their test scores account for 50% of my total evaluation. It does not matter that Johnny's dad beats the crap out of Johnny's mom and Johnny on a daily basis. It does not matter that Susie hasn't eaten since her free lunch in the cafeteria the previous afternoon. It does not matter that Julie hates me and knows that a poor test score has absolutely no impact upon her future because she knows it has an impact on mine. It does not matter that I have 5 students on IEPs who have IEPs stating they need the modified state exams because my school, by law based upon school population, is only allowed to choose 2 students from the entire building to take the modified exam. Education is messed up!

I absolutely love teaching, but the legislation put forth by those who have never darkened a classroom door for any purpose other than to say that "anyone can teach" is driving good teachers out of the classroom. Until parents must take equal responsibility in their child's education and teachers are no longer forced to structure curriculum to the masses and the almighty test, I will be saddened and truly fearful for the futures of many of today's students.

Please excuse my rant.