DEAR READER
Claire Keane
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we're not kids anymore.
Kaledo Art
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
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@theendoftestingera
Lets Get Noticed
I don’t understand how people may not realize what students like us are going through on a day-to-day basis. We constantly are going to school taking test that don’t matter in the real world. Test that do not define who we are as students. Test creators such as the college board, NYS regents (for all the New Yorkers), and common core founders need to hear our voice and reasonings.
This is one of the most inspiring videos I’ve ever seen! I suggest everyone watches this video because rather than explaining just standardized testing, it expresses how this country is not creating opportunities for students within the classroom in comparison to other countries.
Teachers are AGAINST testing!
In the last week I was lucky enough to talk to an elementary school teacher about standardized testing! She has been a teacher for 20 years and feels very strongly about standardized testing! I will post the interview below:
1. How do you feel about this testing? Why?
I feel that this testing places unnecessary pressure on students to demonstrate knowledge that does not reflect their learning. The content of the tests is not appropriate for students and the readability is way beyond their grade level making it impossible to truly measure what they know.
2. At what point in time did you start to disagree with the Standardized Testing?
I have never been a big fan. As a teacher, i have always known there are better, more efficient and comprehensive ways to measure student achievement.
3. What made you feel the way you do about Standardized Testing?
In my experience, a testing environment is somewhat artificial and does not allow all students to show what they know. If that is our goal, why not use authentic student work, writing samples and shorter tests?
4. Do you think the children benefit from this type of testing?
No
5. What other ways do you think you can test your student’s knowledge, without standardized testing?
Different types of writing, unit or chapter tests that test what they know after instruction in class, projects, verbal/speaking assignments, daily work. Good teachers know how their students are doing in class and where the strengths and weaknesses are without a standardized test.
6. With the world changing in a sense of technology, how do you see these tests changing?
The state is already moving toward digital testing.....a terrible mistake in my opinion. While they may be cheaper and shorter, students cannot demonstrate reading skills, writing skills, speaking skills and listening skills sitting in front of a screen.
7. Have you spoken against standardized testing in your own school district? If yes, why? If no, what would like to do to stop this?
I have joined colleagues in voicing my concerns about them. Unfortunately, although many teachers do not feel they are valuable in measuring student success, unless parents opt out their child, we have to administer them.
Administrators are AGAINST testing!
Additionally, I had an interview with a vice principle that is new to administration but was a middle school for 20 years and knows much about standardized testing!
1. How do you feel about this testing? Why?
Assessment is an important part of learning. Good teachers weave assessment into instruction regularly as assessment should be used to modify future instruction. "This" testing that the question refers to is anything but authentic or diagnostic. Standardized tests today intrude on authentic instruction as they interrupt valuable learning and are often not age appropriate. The results of standardized tests in New York State are delivered so late that they serve little purpose to improve instruction.
2. At what point in time did you start to disagree with the Standardized Testing?
Standardized testing has always been a part of education. Some standardized tests are of value and in the past, these tests would be few and far between. With the explosion of tests in many subject levels and at all grade levels 3 - 8 in New York State, they are no longer helpful at all. I was a teacher in 2002 when the ELA and math assessments first appeared in classrooms across New York State due to "No Child Left Behind.' (Many of us re-named this nonsensical federal piece of legislation as "No Child Left Untested.") Even back then, I was very honest with parents and students of my 7th and 8th graders as I explained that I would never spend class time preparing students for these state tests. I believed than and believe even more now that I was preparing my students to read, write and speak well and I was equally responsible to get them excited about their writing and the class in general. I refused to let the "tests" change how I taught and certainly refused to allow their intrusion to eliminate valuable parts of my curriculum.
3. What made feel the way you do about Standardized Testing?
What made me feel this way was the realization that this type of testing dovetailed with a type of traditional teaching that I had shunned as a teacher my entire career. We have always known that children begin so enthusiastic as kindergarteners in our national school system, yet by middle school, many are bored and disconnected and by high school, a large number of students have checked out. This is because schools, as they are structured now, do little to inspire students to want to learn, and do even less to make education relevant to their lives. Standardized testing is just mindless education on steroids. As a teacher of 8th graders, it did not take long to see how many of them figured out by 8th grade, after facing these tests from third grade on, that these tests meant nothing. Many 7th and 8th graders do not take the tests seriously because kids that age are rebellious in their nature anyway. They see right through the nonsense and rebel against standardized testing by shutting down even more. This in itself compromises the value of the test results.
4. Do you think the children benefit from this type of testing?
Students do not benefit from the current type of standardized testing, unless of course one believes that the benefit of the testing is to get them accustomed to taking more standardized tests. On the contrary, these tests are exhausting, intimidating in some cases and take students away from authentic learning.
5. What other ways do you think you can test your student’s knowledge, without standardized testing?
As I said in question one, good teachers are constantly assessing their students so that lessons in the future meet the needs of their students. Project based learning, Socratic seminars, class discussion and quick check ins at the end of class time are all better ways to assess students. Good teachers use assessment in such a way that students often do not even see this assessment as separate from learning.
6. With the world changing in a sense of technology, how do you see these tests changing?
Unfortunately, technology is not being used to improve state testing; instead it is being used to better track students and to make it possible for schools to implement even more time testing. The only difference I see then is more efficiency and more success turning learning, teachers, teaching and students into a robotic process.
7. Have you spoken against standardized testing in your own school district? If yes, why? If no, what would like to do to stop this?
Being new in my school district as an administrator, I have not spoken out against testing at this point. I know some fine superintendents and principals though, who have gone public in their unrelenting criticism of the current system and I hope one day to be joining administrators like this as they fight on behalf of their teachers and students against the overuse of standardized testing as it is currently used in New York State.
To everyone taking the ACT this year:
• Standardized tests don’t define you.
• Over 850 colleges in the U.S. have optional ACT score entry.
• If you fail you’re still intelligent
• Each test is 30-45 mins long, if you’re not nearly done with 5 minutes left it’s better to pick a letter and bubble in the remainder of that test. It only counts for every answer you get right, not wrong. So, better safe than sorry.
• Get a good nights rest
• Have nice meal in the morning, wake up early, be at your testing center before 8am and make sure you have your printed ticket.
• don’t forget to bring photo ID
MOST IMPORTANTLY…
Don’t panic, don’t psych yourself out because again:
Standardized don’t define you and failing them doesn’t mean you’re any less intelligent.
I like this post because it is showing how these test don't define you! “Standardized don’t define you and failing them doesn’t mean you’re any less intelligent.”
No matter what you get on your SAT’s or ACT’s you are still amazing, smart, and doesn’t change who you are as a person! Relating to my previous post, there are “850 colleges in the U.S. have optional ACT score entry.”!!!
I freAKING HATE STANDARDIZED TESTING.
I work at Chickfila. Every Tuesday is “Kid’s Night,” and we do some sort of craft, like make trees out of pipe cleaners, or glue tissue paper to a person outline. Today, it was paint flowers with celery stalks. It was also the first night I was asked to lead it.
I adored watching the kids paint flowers and stems and the different designs they swirled into the background. But most of all, I liked talking to them. Little kids say the darndest things. Maddie, 11, said her favorite color was sea green and she wanted an accent wall in her bedroom because she saw it in a Lowe’s commercial for painter’s tape. Kennedy, 8, said she likes doing cannonballs because she sinks all the way to the bottom of the pool. Christopher didn’t say anything, but he did make all the flower stamps into smiling people.
I asked every single one what their name was, what their favorite color was, and what grade they were going into.
But you know what every single one of them going into third grade said when I asked if they were excited for school? Every single one?
“I used to be.”
I used to be.
They have only had three years of school, but now they aren’t excited.
“Why aren’t you excited now?”
They all stopped painting, brows furrowing, before they looked up and gave me a sheepish smile.
“I’m scared about the STAAR test.”
THIS IS WHAT STANDARDIZED TESTING DOES TO OUR CHILDREN. IT TERRIFIES THEM. IT SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF SCHOOL. IT DISGUSTS ME.
EIGHT YEAR OLDS ARE SCARED ABOUT A TEST. SCARED. SCARED ENOUGH TO NOT BE AT ALL EXCITED ABOUT GOING INTO THE THIRD GRADE.
IF YOU DON’T THINK THIS IS A PROBLEM, GET TF OUT MY FACE.
This is a very powerful post and gives even more of a reason these testing exams need to be taken away! Students going into 3rd grade are STRESSING out about test! 3rd GRADE!
Children of all generations are now becoming a little more stressed every year. The thought that 3rd Graders even know what a test is, it shocking to me! Why do we need to test children at a young age! Evolutions and other substitutes could give more accurate results and can help teachers organize lesson plans based on what the students know!
Standardized testing is used to evaluate both student and teacher performance. Standardized testing has many pros and cons that are highly debated.
http://worklife.columbia.edu/files_worklife/public/Pros_and_Cons_of_Standardized_Testing_1.pdf
Researching online has helped me getting a better stance on this topic. I understand the thoughts of why testing is in place but on the other hand, I strongly believe it shouldn't be. The links that I have attached show the Pros and Cons of standardized testing. It sometimes helps to understand what the test makers reasonings are, but also this helps show why these tests should be taken away. Enjoy!
Schools such as colleges and universities require Standardized Testing in order to be considered as an applicant. On the other hand, many schools now have a test optional program that gives students who may not have strong test scores, the opportunity to apply to strategic universities. After touring test optional school myself I found that they understand students struggles through these tests. They find that it doesn’t measure students knowledge on what they know for many reasons such as having a bad day, or simply just not good at test taking. If you feel that test optional schools might be the right school for you, click on this link and you will see the 100+ schools around the country that are testing optional!
Not every student can preform well on test, and not every student knows how to take test. Quoted from the article “These days, if a school's standardized test scores are high, people think the school's staff is effective. If a school's standardized test scores are low, they see the school's staff as ineffective.” Schools are getting based off test scores that mean nothing, and parents may be wasting money on a schools with higher scores. In addition, knowing the average test score the students at that school receives doesn't determine how well the information is being taught. Teachers in that school maybe the best teachers in the world, but they have students that do not do well on standardized tests.
A new study found that students are often affected by the stress that adults working with them are experiencing. Here one of the researchers on the study talks to Anthony Cody about the issue.
Testing is stressing students out! While students stress, their learning skills decrease and need to know how to manage stress. Click on this link to see how the stress is affecting your learning!
A student named Ankur Singh is creating a documentary about how standardized testing has impacted the youth. Reading through his story, I can relate to the message he is trying to get across. Many may agree with Ankur Singh when he expresses how school is holding him back from reaching his true potential. If you would like to read more of his story, I truly recommend it!
WHERE ALL MY STRESSED OUT NEW YORKERS AT?
REGENTS WEEK BEGINS ON MONDAY
To Everyone taking Regents
