4 things to know: Standardized testing in grades K to 2
Standardized test season is upon New Jersey schools. As the first statewide run of the PARCC — the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — gets underway for students in third through 11th grade, state legislators are considering a bill that would prohibit standardized testing of children in kindergarten through second grade.
Here are four things to know about standardized testing for young children:
1) Standardized testing is not a state or federal requirement for children in grades K to 2.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 provides federal funding to schools with poor and at-risk children if those schools show accountability through standardized testing. Under the act, students in grades 3 to 8 must be tested annually in reading and math, and once more between grades 10 and 12.
The New Jersey Department of Education does not require any standardized testing in younger grades, but there is no legal prohibition against it.
2) Legislators are moving to block early childhood testing
Assembly bill A3079, which would prohibit testing of students in kindergarten through second grade, was approved unanimously on Monday and now will be considered by the Senate Education Committee.
Julia Rubin, volunteer and founding member of Save Our Schools New Jersey, says some school districts across the state have instituted standardized tests in kindergarten through second grade to gauge student skills before they take the PARCC in third grade.
"Right now, there's absolutely nothing that's preventing it," Rubin said.
In the past, many legislators supported standardized testing as a way to hold schools and teachers accountable for student achievement. In recent months, many have shifted their support to favor parents who say testing and test prep have overtaken schools.
3) No consensus on usefulness of tests
Standardized tests are popular among some agencies who seek to measure the success of early childhood programs.
The federal government now requires testing of the nation's preschoolers who are enrolled in Head Start, a program designed to give poor and at-risk children ages 5 and younger a firm educational foundation. The test, called Teaching Standards GOLD, sets "school readiness" benchmarks on social skills, creative expression, and English language skills, among others.
Those tests can be difficult for children who speak languages other than English at home, said Cathrine Beaunae, a professor at Georgian Court University's School of Education.
Standardized tests "are absolutely not a good idea for young children," said Beaunae. "It's not a way to measure children's progress."
Beaunae, who sits on the board of Lakewood's Head Start program, said that young children are particularly sensitive to the emotions of the adults around them, and that sensitivity affects their responses on standardized tests. In Lakewood, where many students in Head Start speak languages other than English, the tests are a struggle, she said.
"It creates anxiety in children because it creates anxiety in the adults who are doing the testing," said Beaunae. "If the teachers are anxious, the students will be anxious. If the parents are anxious, the children will be anxious."
Kerry Carley Rizzuto, assistant professor of early childhood education and literacy at Monmouth University, said that anxiety and stress can damage the minds of young children.
"I think it's abhorrent. I think it's developmentally inappropriate," she said. "Even the most confident, school ready (child)... is going to feel overwhelmed."
There is no consensus on the value of standardized tests for young learners. The Association for Childhood Education International has called for a moratorium on standardized testing of young children since 1991, saying testing affects children's learning and motivation to learn.
Other organizations, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education, say early childhood assessment is one component in determining when to cut funding to ineffective programs.
4) Parents are pushing back
Thousands of parents are uniting to put the brakes on the growing tide of testing. They are taking their fight to their local school boards, Trenton and social media to spread the word that they want less testing in New Jersey schools.
"You really need to let kids develop at their own pace," said Rubin, who's Save Our 4 things to know: Standardized testing in grades K to 2: