A middle ground on testing

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Say the words “state test” or “Regents” in any classroom in New York and I’m positive you’ll get the same reaction from both students and teachers. Hearts beating so hard you can see chests move. Cringing faces. Rolling eyes. Turning stomachs. Afraid, annoyed, and angry reactions. As a teacher in New York City, I know these responses well. Entire school years are often spent in this alarming, anxiety-ridden state.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Teachers, schools, and policymakers need to set a new vision for testing built on the idea that assessments are necessary, and can provide important insights. With testing increasingly in the news — from the release of state test scores to the federal Department of Education’s recent announcement in support of short delays for teacher evaluation using assessment growth — now is the time set a new course.

There are many teachers who share the view that testing is vital, but must be improved, and recently, we released None of the Above: A New Approach to Testing and Assessment. This paper, researched and developed by classroom teachers as part of Educators 4 Excellence-New York, is informed by our experience in the classroom. We came to several main suggestions:

Use multiple measures for high stakes decisions

Standardized tests cannot show a comprehensive view of what students know or what their teachers taught them, but they do offer a meaningful snapshot of student achievement. High-stakes decisions such as teacher and school evaluations should consider student growth on standardized assessments as one factor among others. 

In many instances, New York City and State do just that, but the state falls short when it comes to high-school graduation. Currently, students must pass five Regents exams to receive a diploma, yet research and experience suggest that this requirement causes far more harm than good. Put simply, a student should not be denied a diploma because of a failure to reach an arbitrary score on a single exam. 

High-quality tests eliminate prep

A badly written test helps no one, confusing students and producing unreliable data for teachers and schools. That’s why it is crucial that tests are carefully designed with the input of educators and a focus on higher-order thinking skills. When this happens, the problem of “teaching to the test” that is, excessive test preparation or rote memorization will solve itself. 

Although most teachers report that schools spend significant time on test preparation, research suggests that, at least for challenging assessments, teaching to the test actually produces lower test scores. A University of Chicago study found that “authentic intellectual work” was the best strategy for improving standardized assessment results. When tests and classroom instruction focus on critical thinking skills, we will better prepare students for the future. 

Make tests transparent

When tests take on an important role in our schools — as they do and should — there must be transparency in place to allow for stakeholder input. Test creators, not just teachers, should be accountable to the public.

Just recently, the state released 50 percent of items on the state ELA and math exams given this spring, an important step in the right direction. Educators have new opportunities to evaluate tests in a way that was previously unavailable. The state should continue to release the large majority of items after assessments are complete. A next step for the state is to release the data to schools in a way that is accessible to teachers and families. Data from the state will pinpoint where students need support. This is half the battle when working to increase student achievement. Having this data readily available will help to increase student success in the classroom. Transparency is key to shifting culture of testing toward driving student success.

Educators know the value of well-designed, carefully used assessments in fact, we give tests to our students all the time. When modifications are put in place, testing can be better used to improve instruction and increase student achievement. This will require hard work from New York State and its many districts, but when this is done, I look forward to a testing culture that does not involve fear and anxiety, but instead encourages a commitment to continuous learning and growth.

Christine Montera is a social studies teacher at East Bronx Academy for the Future. She is a member of Educators for Excellence – New York, where she was recently part of a Teacher Policy Team on testing and assessment.

testing, Regents, Christine Montera

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