What does it mean when a teacher teaches to the test. That depends upon the teacher and the test. Consider this excerpt from an article by a professional educator.
Teaching To The Test Curbs Learning.
Now I am not saying that standardized tests aren’t valuable assessment tools. Of course they are! We would be foolish not to take SSAT’s, SAT’s, ACT’s, AP’s and IB’s seriously. Other schools and colleges take scores on those exams into consideration when assessing your students’ progress. What we mustn’t let happen is what has been happening in many parts of the nation: teaching to the test. In other words, the test becomes the end in itself.
In many public school districts test results determine not only student’s progress, but also the teachers’ and administration’s future. Low test scores in a school district will inevitably result in unfavorable media publicity and much grand-standing from politicians at every level. Is it any wonder then that teachers follow their instincts for survival and teach strictly to the test? That sucks much creativity out of the classroom. It robs students of enrichment and in-depth exploration of ideas. (from here)
The excerpt above is written by a gentleman who teaches in a private school. His idea of horror is a school that accepts public funds. The problem is two-stage. Since choice and competition does not exist in the public school system, the public system has little incentitive to satisfy its customers. So parents complain and politicians sort of respond (What do they know about educating children?). To encourage public school teachers to do a good job, the politicians require student testing with standardized tests. Effectively, their scheme is to test quality into the final product — without actually changing and improving the system.
What the requirement for standardized tests actually does is generate a new problem. What should be used as the basis for these tests? To solve that problem, the politicians call upon the same educators who helped to create the problem. These people draw up standards on which to base the new standardized tests.
Of course, while this is all being done, parents have little input. Nonetheless, most parents sent their children to public schools. So which standards we use — whose standards — is a big issue. Unfortunately, few people seem to be paying attention. Some of the few who are are the folks at the PWC Education Reform Blog, and they are not especially happy about what is going on. There is a push afoot to nationalize our nation’s educational standards. This is called the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). What is puzzling about the CCSSI website is that it contains no explanation as to why we need national standards. Do we? Why? So we can eliminate what little competition exists between the various states?
Because of their concern the folks at the PWC Education Reform Blog have already posted a couple of articles. The first is New Standards Will Set Schools Back. This is from a news article in the MetroWest Daily News. Here is how that article begins.
It began as an admirable idea. Develop a set of national K-12 English and math standards states could sign on to voluntarily to help reduce race- and class-based achievement gaps, ensure high standards for all public school students, and help make the United States more competitive in the global economy.
But just a year later, national standards are looking far less admirable. President Obama just announced that signing on to once voluntary standards would be a condition for receipt of federal funding, even though the standards aren’t even complete and recent drafts are woefully deficient.
We need national standards so they can be woefully deficient?
The second post relates to Virginia’s involvement in the CCSSI. We are a full participant. This post, State No-Go on Test Drive, is from News Virginia. Fortunately, Governor Bob McDonnell seems to be having some reservations.
While Gov. Robert F. McDonnell supports the idea of international benchmarks, he said he does not want to substitute the core English and math standards for the SOL’s.
“The commonwealth’s policies have demonstrated a significant commitment to accountability, benchmarks and positive education reform,’’ McDonnell said in a statement. “While we support the development of internationally benchmarked targets, we do not have a desire to substitute the common core standards for our Standards of Learning.”
Recommendations on national core standards could lead to reform in Virginia’s math and English standards, just not the end of the SOLs, said state Department of Education spokesman Charles Pyle.
“We are 15 years into a successful standards-based reform,’’ Pyle said. “There is no discussion on the Board of Education about abandoning the Standards of Learning.”
However, it is a bit too early to assume Virginia will not adopt the CCSSI standards. The statements coming out of the Commonwealth of Virginia are too ambiguous. It seems the Commonwealth of Virginia wants to participate in the CCSSI without actually participating — sort of like having your cake and eating it too.
That raises a question: What Will Happen to the SOLs in Virginia? EducationNews.org raised that question late in the last year. Here is how their article began.
What will happen to the Standards of Learning (SOLs) in Virginia when the CCSSI issues the Common Core standards?
The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is a voluntary, state-run effort, backed by the US Department of Education, to draft and implement a common core of grade level specific academic standards for Math and English in every public school in the nation. The effort is heralded as a bi-partisan initiative of the National Governor’s Association, with 48 states, two US territories, and the District of Columbia participating. Only Texas and Alaska have chosen not to participate.
The initiative requires that each participating state adopt and implement at least 85% of the “Common Core” grade level specific Math and English standards for use in public schools in their states. The US Department of Education, in establishing the rules by which the $4 billion in Race to the Top funds will be awarded, has given priority to states which agree to adopt the national Common Core standards. Several months ago Secretary Duncan released $350 million in Race to the Top funds to assist the initiative in developing a common national assessment to gauge how well states are teaching the Common Core standards to their students.
There’s one problem with this. The Common Core standards haven’t been written yet.
Governor Tim Kaine bought us a pig in a poke. That is, WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHAT HE WAS GETTING US INTO, he agreed to this stinking deal.
Well, the draft national standards are out, and they do not look good. You got kids in school? Here are some other links you need to see. To provide a balance, the list includes both pro and con.
Personally, I detest the idea of government educational standards, and I detest the idea of national standards even more. The notion that the Federal Government should set educational standards is an outrage. Why does the Federal Government need to involve itself in absolutely everything?
As it is, what we are doing is absolutely wretched. Because the Constitution does not authorize the Federal Government to spend money on education, the officials who authorize this spending must break their oath of office. As a result, we have put oath breakers in charge of designing the curriculum we use to educate our nation’s children. How can that make any sense?
What the CCSSI standards underline is that a bunch of politicians decide what children learn. With Liberal Democrats in charge, what does that mean? What do these people believe? Will they not want taught what they believe? How many people actually want a bunch of secular humanist Liberal Democrats designing their children’s curriculum? If, as a Liberal Democrat you like that, you have forgotten something. How did you feel when religious right Conservative Republicans ruled the roost?
Consider the problems we already have. Is not having Richmond design the curriculum already complicated enough? Then having Washington do it is just insane. Instead of getting just 7 or 8 million people to agree, we have to get 300 million to agree. Why is doing such a thing worth the trouble?
Finally, just think of the hypocrisy. Here we have the people who preach diversity insisting that everyone must learn the same things the same way. These same people also have the stinking audacity to call those who disagree with them mind-numbed robots. Do they like diversity or not? Is what they are actually complaining about the fact we are not their mind-numbed robots? Do you really want such people deciding what your children will be taught?
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