State Testing

This week, across the state, students in grades 3-8 and possibly high school, are taking state assessments.  First, I want to wish all the students and teachers "good luck" as they tackle the tests. Good luck to my niece and nephew, and I pray for calm nerves as they do their best.

Second, I have a few thoughts on state assessments.
1.  I am all for accountability.  Teachers need to teach what is expected and be held accountable for it.  However, I am not sure the state tests that we administer are the way to go. I do not have the answer to consistent accountability, but . . .

2. It is possible for teachers to teach the content and students to have mastered it at the time and then have state assessment data that does not reflect that learning. When the tests are passed out, the work and scantron documents are in the hands of the students.  The students choose which bubbles to complete.  Do they mark the correct answers or the answers they think are correct, or do they mark the bubbles they want with no thought, i.e. making pictures of the bubbles?  Do they take their time or do they just rush through to get finish and take a nap or read their book?

3. There is so much stress for students and teachers on test days.  Why do we do this to them?

4. Do those creating the tests and laws forcing us to test really understand what all it involves? The number of certified teachers needed to cover classes of students or small groups?  What about the number it takes to cover all the restrooms so that only one student at a time enters and that no conversations take place? What about the number of educators it takes to cover the hallways to make sure no conversations take place?  Have they ever tried to keep a cafeteria of students silent or know how many people are needed to make sure no conversations take place during lunch? Lawmakers and test creators have no idea what it takes to schedule a testing day.

5. These assessments show the learning or understanding on one day of the year.  What if a student is sick but goes to school anyway? What if something terrible happened that morning? Do lawmakers understand what that does to a student and his/her test taking abilities? At-risk students need a morning/day to run smoothly, and if it doesn't, their scores will show it.

I don't know how to make things better, but I do know that the "powers that be" don't truly understand testing, the laws they are passing, and what they are expecting from teachers and students.