One two one two, this is just a test. This is just. A. Test.
In response to high-stakes testing…
The narrative in Alsup and Bush on high-stake testing was very interesting, and raised questions that I have been concerned about during my practicum. High-stake testing has been forced on schools in an effort by politicians to mandate accountability; ultimately, the judgement will be passed on whether the teacher has “done their job,” based on whether their students succeed in a testing environment.
How are we supposed to view this situation? I assign work to my students, and frequently they do not complete their assignments. If I cannot trust them to read their books, how can I trust them to prepare for tests? There is a disconnect for students between their perception of what their work load should be and what is necessary for them to be prepared to take the EOCTs and the state-mandated graduation tests.
The administration at my school has determined that we need to “get the students ready for the test” by having them do practice tests online and complete workbooks. These processes are tedious for the students who do well in the class, and daunting for those who struggle. Couple the onerous task of test preparation with students who insist that they “can pass the test. Everyone passes the test” and you have a recipe for disaster. Even when confronted with failing grades on the practice test, students insist that “that’s not what the test is really like. It won’t be like that.” Is this an example of the “faith-based reality” I have heard so much about? How can I reach students who are so unwilling to put forth the effort needed to pass the class, let alone prepare for tests that, whether they like it or not, will alter the course of their lives? The narrative in Alsup and Bush advocates preparation performed “carefully and systematically” (Alsup and Bush, 2003, p. 159). Even the most careful, systematic preparation can be derailed if the student refuses to perform the work. How do we motivate the student who thinks they are too smart for “busy work?” What do you do if a student tells you that they “beat your practice test” because they took a 45-question test in less than two minutes? Grades that reflect their effort seem to be ineffective. I hesitate to stoop to scare tactics, but I am reaching that point. What would YOU do?
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:48 am
Our old friend standardized testing, once again, rears its ugly head. I am torn about standardized testing. On the one hand, I honestly believe that standardized testing is necessary. I have seen some degree of incompetence among educators. There are a few people I have worked around that barely know the material that they are meant to teach—the standardized testing gives some means of keeping widespread incompetence in check. It also gives students a degree of accountability for their own education. I have some students who simply refuse to do work—they would rather sit in a classroom and do nothing than complete an in-class assignment, regardless of how their behavior affects their grades. With testing, students must strive to meet certain standards. No one can take the test for them. Regardless of whether they “care” about the test, they must take it (and pass it) in order to progress to the next level—be it graduation, college admission, or entrance into a field or career. I can understand why administration requests more direct testing instruction– they want their students to pass the test– but it seems like the best tests would reflect what good teachers would be doing in their classrooms already, as the Alsup and Bush text suggests.
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
2. “The administration at my school has determined that we need to “get the students ready for the test” by having them do practice tests online and complete workbooks. These processes are tedious for the students who do well in the class, and daunting for those who struggle. Couple the onerous task of test preparation with students who insist that they “can pass the test.”
This getting “ready for the test” seems to mean creating separate activities apart from the curriculum for your school. However, if the test is supposed to assess what students are learning, shouldn’t the students be preparing for the test’s content by being engaged in learning when in the classroom? I suppose that this is a naive question because, perhaps, not all students will be active participants in learning in the classroom. I think that preparing for the test should be integrated into the lessons/activities that the teacher has already prepared to teach the curriculum. Just like grammar lessons are terribly tedious and seem rather pointless when taught alone, I believe that “teaching the test” should not be taught separately either. Students should be familiar with the types of questions/format of the test, but one could have them do a few questions as a warm-up activity or a prompt for writing activities. I do think that randomly assigning practice tests for homework just leads to skimming through, hurried answers, or zero percent homework grades.
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Thanks for the comments. It is frustrating that we are expected to use the workbooks that were provided for practice to “prepare for the test.” More frustrating than that are the students who refuse to believe that the material in the workbooks reflects what is on the test, even though the workbooks come from the very same people who prepare the test. I am teaching a regular class, and I have had students complain about having to read material because “This isn’t a honors class. I didn’t take this class to work.” This is the same student who told me the on-line practice test was nothing like the actual test… Ah well.
February 4th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I have the same concerns. Do standardized exam performance truly reflect the efforts of the teacher? It is possible as well as my everyday experience for students to disregard instruction, no matter how hard I try to present material in different ways. As a teacher, you can only offer the information needed to perfom well on these exams and the rest is up to the student. What do you do if most of your students are not willing to accept your help? I think it is important that school boards and programs evaluate student’s academic expectations, attitudes and acheivements along with test scores. The students that have positive attitudes and that are anxious to learn usually have better grades and score well on exams. I would argue that standardized exams are necessary but there should be other ways to measure teacher accountability. As well as how much responsibility can be put on the teacher…There are other parties acountable for the education or the miseducation of our students.
February 4th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I think the answer to your struggle is what all teachers say but cannot do…not teach for the test. I have never heard a person say they love taking standardized tests or that standardized tests are fun. So, of course students are not thrilled to have to take practice tests and workbooks. But, the age old question still exists, how does a teacher not teach to the test but still adequately prepare his/her students? I guess teachers need to perhaps change their point of view about standardized test preparation. If something doesn’t work in the classroom or isn’t engaging, teachers must rethink their strategies and ideas. I think the same approach should be taken to standardized test preparation.
February 4th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
The notion that the curriculum should prepare students for the EOCT or graduation test is very lovely and delightful. In my reality, my students have been just getting by and memorizing for the test for so long that in most cases they are no where near where they need to be for the tests that will alter their lives. In my classroom, test preparation is not just about brushing up on previously obtained skills, it is about starting from scratch. This on top of the fact that many of students have no concept of Tomorrow just frustrates me to no end. While the world (ok, maybe just my administrators) waits for their test scores, my students see no importance in practicing or preparing for a test that is mulitiple choice and to them much less important than the last text message that they recieved.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Hi,
I am excited and intrigued by this conversation of yours as you work to improve your practice. Your chosen vocation is indeed a challenging one! I hope that you won’t mind this contribution. I’d like to think I might have a perspective to offer as I was a classroom teacher for 35 years, 25 of those in a large urban district and I know first hand the frustrations of which you speak.
I’m wondering if this conversation isn’t really two? Teaching in the context of standardized testing and engaging students in important learning content. And if you’d agree that it is, I’d like to offer for thought first on standardized testing:
“Educators torn between “practicing for the test” and offering more meaningful, indepth, and “authentic” instruction and assessment should take heart. There is no significant empirical evidence to suggest that more teaching for understanding will undermine performance on standardized tests. …
The bottom line is that we should be teaching to standards, not the indirect measures used in testing to determine if standards are being addressed and met locally. To invoke a different analogy, state standards are like building codes; local instructional design is our “architecture.” The goal of architectural design is not to meet building and zoning codes in a slavish fashion. It is, rather, the reverse: the goal is to design something that is practical, pleasing, and stylish – while also happening to meet building and zoning codes. In fact, most state standards stress the importance of in-depth understanding and mastery of key complex performances and genres in which knowledge, skill, and understanding are revealed.”
From Grant and Wiggins at http://www.mciu.org/mciu23/lib/mciu23/cpe/mctighe/yes,_but…pdf
(I did leave this resource on “Theory and Pedagogy” also!)
And second on engaging students in important learning content:
“I hope never to forget that students from hell are made, not born, made by discouragements that have filled them with fear and spawned the sullen anger fear often hides behind. The courage to teach is not to ignore or punish these voiceless ones, but to find ways (in the wonderful words of the feminist theologian Nelle Morton) to “hear them into speech”–for their own sake and for the sake of the truths that the rest of us need to hear.” From “The Courage to Teach” by Parker Palmer at http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9708/palmer2.htm
I’m wondering if viewing students through that lens is worth a look and if it is, would the suggestions for Creating Positive Emotional Contexts for Enhancing Teaching and Learning here be of value? http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/0301/tips.html
My very best wishes,
Lani
February 9th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Lani– Thank you for your insightful post. I have more to think about now; motivation is a difficult subject to ponder, but the payoff is worth the time and effort. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
-Ludlow