No…Standardized Tests do not Test Everything you do for Kids

The anti-testing movement continues to pick up momentum as teachers get on the  “the test does not test my relationship with students” bandwagon.  I  would caution teachers who  are buying into this accusation that they are contributing to the uncertainty and public distrust of standardized tests.  True, relationship building and support for students are not measured directly on annual standardized academic tests.   But we must not make the  argument that the tests are bad because our teaching and nurturing behaviors are not factored into a standardized test.

Lately, I have notice a movement on Facebook called #MoreThanAScoreCO…The messaging from teachers is that their students are more than a score.  Teachers on the site pose with photos of themselves using signs to declare what they do for children that is above and beyond academic teaching.  Here are a few:

FreeOurStudents.org invites the public and educators to take a stand against excessive standardized testing and join others at the “Our Students are More Than a Score” Rally at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on March 25 to support “time to teach and time to learn” in Colorado classrooms.  The posted signs send the message that the nurturing aspect of teaching can not be tested.  Using this as an argument against standardized testing just isn’t strong enough for me.  Each of these teacher’s statements is a factor of great teaching.  Hattie’s research on visible learning confirms the hypothesis that teacher influence has a measurable effect on student achievement.  These great teachers will have an impact on student performance on the test. I actually think these teachers should go further to acknowledge their impact on student test scores.

The second message in a video campaign from FreeOurStudents.org is the time for test prep that takes time away from teaching, the uselessness of the test scores, the time actual testing takes from teaching, and the stress put upon students during tests.

I am a third grade teacher who has intentionally taught my standards all year with engaging learning activities and research based, or proven, instructional methods.  As our testing window neared, my students and I felt completely prepared for the upcoming computerized tests that would cover about 75% of the entire set of third grade Colorado Academic Standards.  We did not lose hours or weeks to “test prep” and we did use the Pearson provided tutorials and practice tests to familiarize ourselves with the format and tools that would be available on the test. On test days, student interaction with the tests seemed a positive experience for my students.

The current pulse on education and testing is important.  There is too much testing, therefore, we need to use the best test, and let go of other tests that are not aligned with standards.  We have legislated our way to too much testing with No Child Left Behind at a national level, and with our own Colorado READ act at the state level.  Add to our federal and state level testing the  various district level testing, and yes, this  is a disaster.  The issue must be too much testing, not that we are testing teacher qualities that cannot be measured.  If anything, go to a rally, but ask for less testing, not tests to measure nurturing teachers.