I was cleaning out a filing cabinet the other day and ran across some old reports I did for a class I took in college. The course taught us how to administer various tests to students with learning disabilities. We also learned how to interpret test results presented to us by the school psychologist. Teachers never administered the psychological tests, but we had to have some understanding of what the results meant. The class requirements were rigid and I worked hard for a good grade.
The funny thing is, now, when I remember that class, I think of what the professor told us over and over. While he taught a class all about tests, and we learned the importance of testing, my professor had a motto. The motto was “Never Trust Tests!”
I think about that now when the whole state of our public schools surrounds the tests. Very young children are inappropriately tested (they are too young). Large numbers of students in some places are retained based on one test score. Teachers get fired due to student test scores. Many schools are also closed, we are told, because of test scores.
Class instruction revolves almost totally around tests. Some schools have eliminated the arts for added test prep. Recess, I mean real recess and not PE, is still absent in many places to make room for testing. Everything done in public schools today revolves around testing. People, often non-educators who never studied testing, place much-to-much trust in these tests never stopping to realize they could be making a huge mistake.
While I believe some tests can glean valuable information, testing today is not the testing I remember—testing meant to really help students. Today it is all about collecting data. Even back then, I practiced what I learned and believed it to be true—I never trusted tests. They were simply one tool, of many, to understand a student’s academic progress at one point in time.
I certainly don’t trust the kinds of tests being used today. So I have joined hands with many educators and parents in my State of Tennessee and the nation to now oppose tests. If you are a parent, consider opting out your child from the draconian tests in your school. This is not an easy decision, but it is likely the best decision for your child. Here is the link for you to obtain support in this endeavor http://unitedoptout.com/. It provides information for individual states and will help answer your questions. Also, connect with other parents and encourage them to opt out their child from the tests too. I will be writing more about testing in the coming days.
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