If A Test Falls In A Classroom
4 min read
It is difficult to keep up with the amount of misinformation spewed on a regular basis about the Common Core standards. The conversation is complicated because, depending on who is talking, the words "Common Core" can mean any one, or any combination of, the following:
- The actual Common Core standards;
- The curriculum aligned to the Common Core standards;
- The tests aligned to the Common Core standards;
- School ratings based on the tests;
- Teacher evaluations based on the tests; and/or
- Incentives contained within Federal Department of Education funding that paired Common Core adoption with test adoption and data collection.
One of the more recent examples occurred when Politifact attempted to assess a claim about data collection and the Common Core rollout. In this case, the original claims (described in the last two links) are chock full of misinformation, and the Politifact piece takes a narrow and one sided look at the issue that renders their "Truth-o-Meter" assessment very close to a lie by omission. When both the claims and the fact-checkers get it wrong, understanding is hard to come by.
An element I'd like to focus on today centers around the testing that is being developed as part of the nationwide Common Core implementation. Between PARCC, Smarter Balanced, all of the major textbook companies, and the SAT (to name a few), many organizations are looking to supply the tests that claim to show whether people are learning. Given that many states are also adopting a comprehensive exam to determine whether or not a student is prepared to graduate high school, it's not a stretch that the SAT will market itself to fill that void - especially with David Coleman, a lead author of the Common Core standards now leading the College Board.
The role of tests in the Common Core landscape is clear: they appear to be the primary mechanism for determining whether the program is working. However, the tests are not yet complete, and the value of standardized tests - even standardized tests billed as formative assessments - as a means to measure learning is highly debatable. As such, it's fair to ask: are the tests worth the time it takes to administer them, the money required to buy them, and the instructional time lost to prepare for them?
Which brings me back to my point: the emphasis on testing feels misplaced. Students should be going to school to learn. With the emphasis on testing, it feels like students are going to school to demonstrate evidence of learning. These are not the same thing. Districts and policy makers need the tests more than students do, but the tests are sold and marketed as a requirement of the learning process.
Which brings me to my dream (and I've talked about this before): for these tests to have any meaning, people need to take them. If enough people opt out, the tests could be deprived of statistical significance, further diminishing their worth. Tests have two very visible uses: within K12, they are used for school ratings; as students matriculate, they are used to streamline college admissions.
However, schools and colleges cannot exist without students. If colleges didn't have SAT scores, they would need to find another way to admit students, because colleges and universities cannot exist without your tuition dollars. If K12 districts didn't have standardized test scores to rely on, they would need to find other ways to assess progress. Maybe, instead of sending money outside the district to testing companies, the money could stay inside districts. The need to assess student progress is real, but the omnipresence and convenience of standardized tests have limited our ability to consider other options. Right now, the testing strucure we have in place works better for the organizations delivering programs than for the students learning within them.
And as I say this, I know it will never happen. For this to occur would require an act of civil disobedience coordinated nationally. Parents across the country would need to support their students in opting out - and, especially for students approaching college age, that is a risk.
But: imagine the beauty of empty classes on testing day. Imagine the beauty of districts, colleges, universities, policy makers working to find their way without the crutch of standardized data. The pervasive use of outsourced assessment has blinded us to other options, but it doesn't need to be this way.
Image Credit: "Empty Desks" taken by Amanda C, published under an Attribution No Derivatives license.
