I recently read an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette titled Test Overkill. It referred to the Pittsburgh Public Schools giving more than 270 tests this school year. Is that too much? In my profession opinion – yes it is.
In researching the many types of tests, it is easy to understand how one can be confused. It is also easy to get into a testing rut. Most states require a state test in Math, English Language Arts, and Reading in grades 3 through 8. Grade 4 and 8 also test in science and grade 5 is required to test in the ability to write various genres. High school students often take an end-of-course assessment in content areas and some districts require a test to graduate. This is just the basics that are required from most states.
My last two blogs were about the purpose of homework to build skills and content so when it is time to take tests there is proof of learning. My blog on computerized grading referenced schools relying on computers to grade tests and spew out what was learned and what wasn’t learned. What tests are necessary and which test should be classified as ‘fluff’?
There are two categories of achievement tests given by school districts, norm referenced or criterion referenced. The most common are norm-referenced which have been used for many decades. The results of these tests are used to evaluate a child’s achievement, skills, and the effectiveness of what is being taught in the school. They also give parents a perspective of a child’s strengths and weaknesses in the subjects taught and tested. According to the website www.fairtest.org, norm-referenced test “compare a person’s score against the scores of a group of people who have already taken the same exam”.
Criterion referenced tests are different than norm referenced in that they assess the mastery of a skill or content area. The test results tell whether a student masters, passes, or does not know the skill or content.
Performance assessments are designed to help teachers have clear evidence of a student’s achievement. The teacher or school district often creates them so students are able to demonstrate a specific skill or competency. The test defines a target for the student to demonstrate knowledge, reasoning, skills, and attitudes. They should be flexible, non-biased, authentic, and observable. Such tasks include a science activity or a writing activity.
Diagnostic tests are designed to guide instruction and provide teachers with information on the remediation of various skills. Other standardized test include DIBELS, Tera Nova, STAR, SAT, ACT, Otis-Lennon – to name a few – and module tests for programs in science, math, and reading that are designed by textbook companies. These tests are in addition to the types of tests required by districts, grants, and teacher designed subject tests. Some districts purchase computer software so students can take a test of skills 4 times a school year. These computer tests provide information on what standards are mastered and which standards are weak so they can be strengthen by the time standardized tests are taken.
Too much testing takes up valuable teaching and learning time. A report from the American Federation of Teachers released an article on the high cost of over testing. This can be found at: http://www.aft.org/newspubs/news/2013/072313testing.cfm. It is also reported that students can spend up to 110 hours per year to prep for the high stakes tests.
Regardless of the fact that tests provide information for instruction and updated programs, the effects on some children may be negative. The pressure paced on teachers to increase achievement is translated onto the students through such measures as a drill-and -kill type of instruction. Students that struggle through daily lessons feel frustrated as they muddle through a test that is beyond their current skill or reading level. High achieving students tend to feel resentment as their learning pace is slowed so teachers can prepare the whole class through repetitive test practices. According the the Article Pros a Cons of Standardized Testing found on the web: http://www.brighthubeducation.com/student-assessment-tools/16137-the-pros-and-cons-of-standardized-testing “The amount of stress these tests place on students can lead to negative health consequences as well as feelings of negativity directed at school and learning in general”.
Students and parents may opt out of a standardized test. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing provides information on opting out of a test: http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting- out. Once you decide to opt out of a test that you feel is harmful to a child’s education, write a letter to the principal exercising your right to exempt your child from the test. If you are being resisted, be prepared to defend your position. A local elementary teacher was informed that his son, a sophomore in high school, wrote a note opting out of the state test.
In summary of my research, too much testing takes up valuable instructional time. Testing should drive instruction and standardized tests have a purpose and need to be used as an evaluative tool, not to compare student-to-student, teacher-to-teacher, or school-to school. My professional opinion is for parents, teachers, and school districts to take a breath and look at what is happening in the school district. Ask if too many tests are being given and demand time for instruction and learning.
