Testing refusal rates in your district

[DopeyDame]

No more tests then. I wish that was the case when I went to school.

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There are lots of private schools that don't do traditional tests and grades. Most montessori schools write up narrative report cards for the kids outlining their strengths and weaknesses and what skills they have mastered and which ones they are still working on. No chapter tests and certainly no big final exams. I understand that that might not work at a traditional public school (although I think it would probably work better than most would give credit for) but it certainly shows that massive testing isn't the only way to accurately and appropriately evaluate kids or teachers.

 

[zoemurr]

Did you see that only 4% of kids in NYS passed the CC new algebra 1 test with mastery? (over 85) and even that number is high because it was curved a few points. Teachers were teaching as they always have been, but were given no guidelines as to how the test was going to change. Every teacher across the state can't be failing these children. Hmmm maybe the test wasn't an accurate measure of mastery? This year the new geometry test is coming out and will effect the same kids. Our school will now have them take the CC version, and the old version, with the hopes that they pass one of them.

 

[sam_gordon]

There are lots of private schools that don't do traditional tests and grades. Most montessori schools write up narrative report cards for the kids outlining their strengths and weaknesses and what skills they have mastered and which ones they are still working on. No chapter tests and certainly no big final exams. I understand that that might not work at a traditional public school (although I think it would probably work better than most would give credit for) but it certainly shows that massive testing isn't the only way to accurately and appropriately evaluate kids or teachers.

I never said that massive testing is the only way to evaluate. But I think saying testing has no place in schools (or can not help) is incorrect.

Did you see that only 4% of kids in NYS passed the CC new algebra 1 test with mastery? (over 85) and even that number is high because it was curved a few points. Teachers were teaching as they always have been, but were given no guidelines as to how the test was going to change. Every teacher across the state can't be failing these children. Hmmm maybe the test wasn't an accurate measure of mastery? This year the new geometry test is coming out and will effect the same kids. Our school will now have them take the CC version, and the old version, with the hopes that they pass one of them.

The bolded is key to me. WHY were they not given guidelines? If Pearson (or whoever the testing company was) refused to give guidelines, TPTB should have refused their test. I think that's a failing of the school SYSTEM (school/district/state) more so than the tests.

ETA: My state has two (I guess more than that) distinctions of results... "proficient" and "distinguished". I don't know if the "mastery" you refer to equate to either of these. I think being "proficient" is sufficient.

 

[zoemurr]

I never said that massive testing is the only way to evaluate. But I think saying testing has no place in schools (or can not help) is incorrect.

The bolded is key to me. WHY were they not given guidelines? If Pearson (or whoever the testing company was) refused to give guidelines, TPTB should have refused their test. I think that's a failing of the school SYSTEM (school/district/state) more so than the tests.

As with everything else I belive it comes down to money. Cuomo is holding it hostage until schools follow his guidelines. As we saw this year, many did rebel with the state tests that don't effect the kids progressing through school. But they need the Regents to be able to graduate in NY. The school can't refuse it and have hundreds of kids not graduate because of it.

 

[Tinijocaro]

I've never been part of this "anti-testing crowd" until New York began botching things so badly. I was one of those people who kind of liked taking the SATs and GREs. I certainly believe there is a place for standardized testing.

Here in New York, however, flawed, secret tests have been rushed to development based on hurriedly written, unproven standards. These tests were then given multiple functions, far more than any single test should be asked to do: they supposedly assess students' strengths and weaknesses, provide districts with a "snapshot" view of their school, inform curriculum development and decisions, help disadvantaged students, punish failing schools, rate principals, fire failing teachers, place all teachers on an evaluation scale of ineffective/developing/effective/highly effective, and more. Then our governor stated that the scores on these tests are "meaningless" for students and should be viewed as "practice"--that's a scary mindset to place students in considering the high-stakes nature of the tests. In addition, it has been publicly pre-determined that a certain percentage of students WILL score below grade level and a certain percentage of teachers & schools WILL be labeled ineffective. These percentages are being set before the test is even administered!

Pearson closely guards the content of the tests, to the extent that 8-year-olds are required to sign confidentiality agreements, but multiple reports indicated that the NY tests contained many components that were several grade levels above the tested grade. A high percentage of students was unable to finish the timed tests. Then recently, when teachers were trained to score the tests, they reported that the "anchor papers" that were supposed to be written by students in the field testing stage did not contain high-scoring, student-written examples at the 5th grade level (possibly at other levels as well; this is the first report I've heard). The high scoring examples were written by the adults at Pearson, apparently because NO actual 5th grade child in the field test was able to successfully accomplish the assigned task.

I'm less familiar with other states, but my experience with the Opt-out movement in NYS is that the vast majority of participants are concerned parents who want their children to receive a rich and varied education. They are not anti-test. They allow and encourage their children to take the Regents exams and SATs, and those who have older children were fine with them taking the 4th and 8th grade assessments that had been in place for many years. They are, however, extremely worried about the use of our children as political pawns in the war on public education that has been declared by the governor and his rich backers.

Double yes! I think some people hear "anti testing" and think we don't want our precious kids to take tests. I (and my kids) love the challenge of a test that is based on material taught in the classroom, that is fair. High stakes testing is what most are opposed to and they are not based on what is taught in the classroom and are certainly not fair. My kids have always done well on these tests (until I started opting them out 3 years ago). I didn't opt them out due to stress, or inability to handle the challenge. My kids barely batted an eyelash at these tests. I opted them out because they are poorly designed, don't measure what they claim to measure, are being used to measure things they weren't designed to measure...way too many reasons to go into again.f

 

[kimmar067]

No more tests then. I wish that was the case when I went to school.....I suggest you find states/districts/schools that ARE doing things "right" and highlight those to TPTB in your area.

....may I suggest looking up Finland school system? it's a GREAT model....