Bridget's+Multimedia+Essay

I think this cartoon perfectly conveys the huge disconnect between what we tell students to be and what we indirectly suggest through testing. While we want our students to be creative and thoughtful individuals, we give them standard paper-and-pencil tests that value single, correct answers. Over years of schooling, students quickly learn that curiosity, exploration, and mistakes are not valued; rather, they realize that, as long as they can perform well enough on various tests, they will 'get by.' And if they can't perform well on those tests, then they're bound to feel inadequate and frustrated with the learning process.

It's strange that, given all the research that says that paper-and-pencil tests are not the most effective way to measure students' learning, testing is still a widely used practice in classrooms. I think many teachers still use them quite frequently for two reasons: (1) Time. Teachers often feel constrained by all of the curriculum they have to "cover" along with all of their other professional responsibilities. Once they're made, tests are easy to give and easy to score. (2) Lack of knowledge. Even if teachers know that tests aren't the best assessment method, they may not be sure about how to implement alternative measures. It calls for a new approach, not to mention the planning that goes into other forms of assessment. It may just be easier for them to give the same test they've been giving for years.

On a larger scale, standardized tests are given primarily for accountability-- students must be held accountable for learning the material, teachers must be held accountable for teaching it, and schools must be held accountable for successfully turning out young adults who will be successful in the "real world." While the issue of accountability is understandable-- and won't go away-- standardized tests have powerful effects on students. When one goes beyond the superficial benefits (holding everyone accountable, offering a basis for comparison between schools, etc.), there are significant consequences for students:

While learning should be an exploratory process in which students can freely explore and grow, testing creates limitations and barriers. To put it simply, they're not working. Students of various learning styles, with different backgrounds and talents, can not possibly demonstrate the extent of their "learning" with a single traditional test that is largely superficial and not entirely reliable:



But most importantly, the focus on testing has produced students who are more interested in getting the right answer and a good grade than learning through the process of successes as well as mistakes. All-in-all, it takes away the interest in learning and the natural curiosity that we're born with. School, then, becomes a drag instead of a joy. This video, while it contains some irritating typos, makes clear the message that standardized tests are negatively affecting students:

media type="youtube" key="qsbGgdvHTTE" height="385" width="480" align="center"

Additionally, this is the story of how standardized tests are affecting one school-- from the voices of the teachers themselves: media type="youtube" key="tSIgmSKH8vc" height="385" width="640" align="center"

The teachers in this video call for an end to the testing and more of a focus on collaboration towards a solution. They agree that some alternative must be found to restore the quality of education for their students. While testing probably isn't going anywhere soon, there might be ways to meet the needs of the system and the needs of learners. Teachers must realize that the material on the tests should be their baseline. We must push students beyond the superficial level of understanding assessed on these tests and move into areas where students are creators and collaborators. If students can achieve at that level, then the tests will be a breeze. What teachers must not do is the dreaded test-prep, where students complete practice question after practice question. This is valuable time in which students could be engaged in much more meaningful learning opportunities including project based learning, performance assessments, and digital alternatives in which students are able to demonstrate their learning in ways that makes sense.

Secondly, and most importantly, teachers must actively seek out alternatives and collaborate with each other. It requires leadership, open-mindedness, and motivation. We must think from "the world of possibility" instead of viewing ourselves as being "stuck." In doing that, we have to learn to work with the current situation and do what we can to make learning meaningful for our students.