Standardized Testing vs Real World Preperation: It's a Tug-of-War!

The link below is from the October 17th, 2005 NPHS Bobcat Sentinel newspaper. Students reported about the new 10th grade graduation requirements. I was interviewed for this article. However, this test was given once and removed. There was talk about moving it to 11th grade and or that it was returning. It is 2011, and it is not back. It has not resurfaced in another grade level either. Yet, educators watch the testing forecast because the need to be cognizant of the educational climate and new standards that are always lurking over over and around us.

I am sharing this article because it illustrates some of the uncertainties educators face when tests are being changed and developed. A tremendous amount of time and money was spent on researching benchmark test specifications for this test. A group of teachers actually worked on mapping the curriculum to align both 9th and 10th grade instruction to the standards covered in the FCAT Writing Plus exam. This is great, but when the test was omitted, did teachers stop teaching grammar and punctuation? Some did!

The other concern that I have always had is why standardized tests seem to influence what is being taught. Students need to learn how to write whether there is a test for it or not. The basics and critical thinking should be taught; instruction should be explicit and vertically aligned. If not, one could learn about the government for three years in a row in elementary school and get no new information. Worse yet, they could become bored hearing the same things over and over. I have no problem with teaching government, but each year there should be a progression of what is being taught and when. Teachers cannot teach just because they like a certain part of their subject area. It would be like me teaching poetry all year because that is what I love the most. Why that would be an injustice to our students. Do important basic skills like speaking get put aside to make room for more FCAT instruction time? For many, it has. What about public speaking? It is one of the four modes of Language Arts that has been put on the back burner. Though it is not tested on the FCAT, many teachers do not teach public speaking skills because there is not enough time. This is a problem because students need to be prepared to speak at interviews, meetings, trainings, and even in social settings. Isn't education supposed to be about creating active citizens and not just good test takers?

Another laborious problem that teachers face is that they need to follow how various tests will change; they need to know what is coming up too! In short, so many teachers focus on what is being tested; yet, this is exhausting but necessary. If one is not careful, it can steal the joy right out of teaching. It's a walk of balance. My friend, past mentor, and colleague, Vicky Harris, once told me to "remember that the education pendulum is always swinging. It will swing this way and then back. Just do your best." This is great advice that I try to follow everyday. After all, it's really about my students. What do they need?

When it is all said and done, the real tightrope dance is learning to teach what needs to be taught according to both state and national standards while helping kids excel on state and district tests. This has to be done without taking the joy out of teaching and learning. Passing tests does not mean real world success, and an excellent teacher motivates his or her students with relevant topics and activities while integrating standards and test taking skills. So for now, I continue to follow the testing weather forecast and the educational political climate, but I remember the importance of getting kids ready for the real world.

It might appear that I am against standardized testing, but I am not. I do think that students should be able to find the main idea, compare and contrast, infer, analyze, find cause and effect relationships, and be able to use context clues. They should have a basic understanding of the language semantics. They need to be able to read web pages and evaluate them. In short, these are all part of the 9th and 10th grade FCAT Reading test. I may not agree with some of the educational reforms such as NCLB (No Child Left Behind) or the new "Race to the Top" educational initiative coming down the pike, but I do believe in educating and motivating kids to look to their future!

http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/nphs/npnews/NewFiles/2005%20Oct.%20Web%20Sentinel.pdf