The problem with standardized testing
We all want to know that our children are learning what they need to be successful members of our society, contributing to the economy, and advancing our state and nation. But the obsession our political leaders have developed with standardized testing has become an obstacle to our desires.
In Indiana, we have created an environment in which young people with the desire to teach prefer to look elsewhere for opportunities. Or worse, they choose another profession altogether. Why? Because our governor and state legislature have chosen to use standardized tests as a weapon against teachers and schools. And our children are the casualties in this war.
The ISTEP test is inherently flawed. It rewards only those schools which teach to the content of the test to the exclusion of all else. And it punishes those schools whose students fall short. It does not take into consideration the remarkable diversity of information that could be taught. It ignores the many factors in students’ lives which make it difficult, if not impossible, for them to succeed on the test. And our state leaders remove funding and teachers from school systems that perform below the arbitrary expectations of the test.
We all agree that our children should be able to read, write, and perform basic math. But we also should agree that our children are individuals with different strengths and interests. Time spent teaching solely to a standardized test -- including weeks of pre-testing and evaluation -- is time that is stolen. Our children’s exposure to the arts, to science, to information technology training, to skilled trades is left largely for some time after high school. No two children are alike, and that extends to how they learn and what engages them intellectually.
Worse, standardized testing fails when it comes to preparing students for post-high school education. Colleges are forced to create entire curricula for remediation. It is the schools’ failing only in that they teach in the manner proscribed by those in power in order to avoid sanctions.
Sadly, we are bound by standardized testing. There is little hope that the tests will go away or that a well-rounded primary education ever will be appreciated by the politicians. The $20 million spent by lobbyists from the testing companies over the past five years ensures that legislators and governors will continue the current practice, regardless of the results. That is the problem with standardized testing. Profit is valued over people once again, and our future suffers for it.The problem with standardized testing | KP | kokomoperspective.com:
