Some family reasons for skipping the ISAT
I will not allow my son Sam take the ISAT this year because there are no good reasons for him to do so. High-stakes tests, like the ISAT, pressure children. They label and stigmatize them. They interrupt real learning and real enjoyment at school. They don’t tell me anything I need to know about my son.
Sharon Schmidt, Substance editor and CTU Testing Committee chair person, spoke at the February 22, 2012, Board of Education meeting against the misuse of test scores to label schools "failing" or "low performing." The Board voted to fire the staffs of 10 schools because of the schools' performance based primarily on test scores. The test scores of most children reflect family income. Teachers of low-income students are blamed for realities they have no control over. In this article, Schmidt writes about why testing is bad for individual children and families. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Sam has learned so many things in fifth grade. He’s studied history and science, he’s read dozens of novels and many pages of informational text, and he has learned and practiced new concepts in math, art, music, computers, physical education and health. He’s written fiction, poetry, and research reports. He’s learned how to interact with new students and teachers. He’s been thinking critically about politics and people.Sam’s progress is evident to me through observation, conversation, report cards, teacher meetings, schoolwork, and homework. In contrast, his ISAT test scores from three reading and three math tests would not tell me any of what he’s learned this year. The scores would only show how he compares to other test takers in answering simplistic multiple-choice questions and completing formulaic writing tasks.
The ISAT doesn’t measure thinking, motivation, or interest. It measures