This is the time of year when students across the country are doing their State assessments. Students are tested on several subject areas, mainly Math and Reading, to show what they have learned that school year. Depending on the grade level or state, this means anywhere from 2 days to 5 days of tests. The tests usually last a few hours each.
It is a dreaded time for students and teachers. It is extra stress for students, as not taking these tests can affect their promotion to the next grade level. It can also affect placement in classes for middle and high school. Teachers lost days of instructional time due to either not seeing a specific class due to the test schedule or having students burnt out from the day’s testing to be interested in regular class work.
As teachers, we try to teach the students how important it is to do their best on these tests. It can affect placement in AP or Honors classes and, in some states, scholarship money. The tests are also designed to help measure what the students have learned and what areas our students are struggling in and inform for learning standards in the future. It is also a fact of life that they will have to take tests in the real world (driving, professional licensing, etc.).
While all these factors are true, these tests are not the best measure of student success. First, teachers cannot see the testing materials beforehand, so we are not “teaching to the test.” However, sometimes we discover after the students take the test that some of the questions include content not covered that year. It could be content they were taught in previous grades but are not retaught. Therefore, the student may not have retained that knowledge. Sometimes the questions are worded in a way that the students don’t understand, and we can’t provide help, so they may miss a question simply because they didn’t understand what the question asked.
There are also human factors to consider. I have seen several high-achieving students bomb standardized tests for various reasons. They might not have gotten enough sleep and doze off during the test, meaning they either miss questions are rushing to complete their work. If they missed breakfast, a rumbling stomach could be a huge distraction (I started keeping a stash of granola bars on my desk). Also, some kids suffer from test anxiety, and the stress can cause them not to perform as well. There is also the disruption to the normal class schedule, which can cause frustration for students and staff alike.
A big issue with these tests is that there is rarely an opportunity to retake the tests. If a student does, it is usually due to some testing violation that has to be corrected, or maybe a tech issue if they do their tests online. In a normal testing situation, a student may have a chance to redo a test if they did not do so well or do an alternate assignment to show their knowledge of the subject. With standardized testing, there is no do-over.
Many school districts are looking at alternate solutions to state testing. Some schools are experimenting with standards-based grading (SBM), where students are graded on a cumulative scale on mastering state and national standards. Performance-based assessments work similarly and give students a choice on how to demonstrate mastery (essays, projects, videos, etc.). While there is still not enough data to show overall success with these methods, there have been some positive results in classrooms.
I know other teachers, and I look forward to the day when standardized testing is a thing of the past. Until that day comes, we will continue to give the tests and urge our students to do their best.