Ever since the Bush administration initiated the No Child Left Behind act in 2002, standardized testing has been the norm in public schools. No Child Left Behind had the intentions of holding schools accountable for their effectiveness in their classrooms. Unfortunately the tests ended up punishing schools, specifically poor and minority schools. In many cases, standardized testing distracts classrooms from their usual curriculum in order for students to catch up for what might be on the test. At the time No Child Left Behind was passed, the United States ranked 18th in math; by 2009, we slipped to 31st.
Even with teachers getting their students to catch up on missed material, many topics are still not covered that end up on tests. Younger test takers are experiencing severe test related stress. Standardized test “Stanford-9” even comes with instructions for teachers on what to do in case a student vomits in their test booklet. Many older students do not take standardized test seriously, knowing it will not affect their grades.
The Obama administration has offered grant money to states to adopt the "Common Core" program's standards for standardized test. Common Core sets unified, rigorous standards for goals in the classroom, focusing on critical thinking skills, abstract reasoning in math, and reading comprehension. 45 states have adopted Common Core so far. Last year, Kentucky became the first state to implement Common Core policies. Doing so, their state test scores plummeted from previous years.
New York introduced their new Common Core compliant standardized test earlier this week on Tuesday. The test proved to be more difficult than expected. Many teachers and students were not adequately prepared for the test’s difficulty. Students found the amount of time they had to finish the test was too short, not completing all the problems in time.
The test has many parents concerned for their children’s futures, specifically in areas like New York City. Results from the tests could determine where a student goes to middle school and high school. Some parents are protesting the new standardized test, forbidding their children to take it. About one third of the students at Manhattan's Earth School’s parents opted out of their children taking the test. One Hudson Valley middle school principal, Dr. Katie Zahedi, saw 55 of 480 students sit out of the exam. She too did not feel strongly about the tests, stating “the amount of disruption this is creating is actually a threat to the quality of education”.
However New York Education Department head Ken Wagner insists these tests are essential for college and workforce preparation. One of his concerns is the worries and stress of parents are rubbing off on their children during these tests. Wagner says, “We have to think very strategically about the messages that students are getting from the adults they are around”.
While there is certainly outrage and backlash against standardized testing, it appears is going to be a present factor in our country’s educational system for a while. We have already seen the effects of No Child Left Behind and the effectiveness of Common Core will be available soon enough.
Questions:
-Should parents be opting their children out of standardized testing if they oppose to the tests?
-Is it fair to determine the future of a student’s education (e.g. determining high school placement) based on standardized testing?
Sources:
Baker, Al & Hernández, Javier (2013). A Tough New Test Spurs Protest and Tears. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/education/common-core-testing-spurs-outrage-and-protest-among-parents.html?ref=education
Spencer, Kyle (2013). Students Face Tougher Tests That Outpace Lesson Plans. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/nyregion/with-tougher-standardized-tests-a-reminder-to-breathe.html
Standardized Tests: Pros and Cons (2013). Retrieved from http://standardizedtests.procon.org/
I remember as a student in public and private schools, I had no say in the work I did. I don't think parents should pull students out of tests, unless they are being done on days of religious importance. But rescheduling in this case is fine. The school system, as an entire institution, is supposed to help children become adults and not their parents support.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's fair either to determine the future of a students education solely on standardized testing. What it should do is be a means of distinguishing those who are in need of special attention. Students should not be rejected or denied access to education due to low scores, it is the responsibility of educational institutions to ensure that the child is at par, if not special attention is required.
Sarah Widberg---I agree with Brian that parents should not opt out their children if they oppose these tests, because while standardized testing does, well, suck, it may only make it more difficult for their children to pass through school and go to college since so much seems to depend upon these scores nowadays. In my high school, if a student did not pass the standardized tests for math and biology, he or she could not move on to the eleventh grade. I think it is absolutely not fair to determine the future of a student's education based on standardized test scores because, as you said before, Joe, many kids are simply poor test-takers. This should be taken into account by colleges and other places where standardized test scores have become so important, because I do not think these scores tell anything about a child. It is from the child's grades, extracurricular activities, and other factors as well that tell us how he or she is as a student. It is also difficult for students who may have immigrated from different countries to take these tests if they do not speak the language (although there are translated forms of the tests) or if they do not have the background knowledge needed to successfully complete the tests. I remember when I first learned about standardized testing in second or third grade, when the teachers told me that the reason for these tests was to make sure that the teachers were doing their jobs. So, I always wondered why we-the students-were the ones who had to take the tests. Imagine if teachers were the ones who had to take these tests!
ReplyDeleteIn general, I do not think parents should opt their children out of standardized tests, because of the reasons previously mentioned by Brian and Sarah. I'm against using standardized tests in general, but I think it would generally hurt the student more than benefit them.
ReplyDeleteI think we rely far too much on standardized tests in America. They can be useful in making sure that schools are all teaching the same basic information, but the way the system is set up, the schools in which students are doing poorly end up getting LESS funding which makes no sense at all, because those are the schools that obviously lack the necessary resources. However, even if the system made more sense, I do not think standardized testing should be used in deciding an individual student's intellectual abilities anywhere near as much as it is. Especially not the way the current tests are set up. The tests only happen once every year or less depending on where you are. One test on one day can easily be affected by trivial things like not getting enough sleep the night before or something. It's just a very poor way of measuring a student's abilities.