I can certainly understand the desire to say I told you so.
I’ve said many of the same things Randi has before, too.
There’s no doubt that we could have avoided our current situation regarding standardized tests with a different stance by the USDOE. Yet, as I tell my own children, and used to say when I was superintendent, we’re in the situation we’re in, so what are we going to do about it?
The 47th Annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools provides valuable information for policy makers to consider as we rethink policies and practices intended to improve public education for all students. As Randi points out, the PDK/Gallup poll found that the American public feels there’s too much emphasis on standardized tests. We have to ask, who’s emphasizing? Certainly, no one can escape federal accountability provisions, but schools and local districts — and even states (see Connecticut) — can choose the value they place on them, and they can design comprehensive accountability systems that include measures beyond state standardized tests. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/ssif/They also can engage their communities by sharing other evidence of student achievement http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/framework/
Thirty-seven percent of public school parents say examples of student work provide the most accurate picture of a student’s academic progress, and 25% say written observations do so, while only 16% say standardized achievement tests fill this need. So how is AFT encouraging local chapters to ensure that contracts support this kind of communication from the teacher to parents? Moreover, are local districts giving teachers the time and support to share progress with parents beyond standardized tests? Local leaders and educators have to work hard to follow their community’s values when sharing reports about student progress and achievement. If the school, district, and community value standardized test scores beyond all else, so be it. If they believe otherwise, educators have an obligation to be proactive about sharing student progress beyond test scores.
Other findings in this year’s poll regarding standardized tests require further conversation and analysis, especially those concerning demographic differences. Clearly, black and Hispanic respondents place more value than whites do on using standardized test scores for comparing and evaluating schools. Moreover, 28% of black and 23% of Hispanic respondents say standardized tests are “very important” for measuring the quality of local schools, compared to just 11% of white respondents. Union leaders, superintendents, policy makers, and school leaders must recognize that I can certainly understand the desire to say I told you so. — Schoolhouse Voices — Medium:
