No matter what the purpose of the standardized test, the result seems to be teaching in a way that is unnatural and not condusive to the way that children learn. The website fairtest.org explains why this happens. The pressure to do well on standardized tests academizes childhood, from a very young age. As a result, the method that young children use to learn, play, is removed from their lives. Our attempt to ensure that children get the best score they can get is stealing their childhood.
I think that most teachers and parents who trust themselves and their children know whether or not the children are learning even without the standardized tests. why can't we trust the experts on children to say what the children are learning and to recognize when their are problems.
I guess everyone wants documentation, not just the assurance of a parent or teacher. One way of doing this is through portfolios. The website found at http://www.pgcps.org/~elc/portfolio.html explains how to begin using portfolios for assessment. By collecting samples of similar types of work throughout the school year, it is easy to demonstrate by comparison what skills have improved in individual children.
I'd like to hear more about the academicization of childhood and the impact it has on play. It is easy to say that children learn through play...and it's easy to say that we shouldn't academicize children to the point that they can no longer play. But I think they key issue is how can we reconstruct learning so that it IS play. And, I agree, that challenge isn't much encouraged or furthered through standardized tests.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that standardized testing is taking time away from student learning and play but I am not sure the answer is the use of portfolios. A few years ago special education teachers had to create portfolios for each student and it sounded like a nightmare. One teacher said she spent hundreds of hours putting all the materials together and no one even looked at them. I think educators need to look at other ways of measuring progress such as presentations, reports and end of the year projects.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely teachers out there that 'teach to the test' because of all the high stakes on the outcomes of the tests. I don't understand how administrators or anyone for that matter can think this is good for our students. Portfolios are a better way to assess because students can have some say in what goes into them. They are definitely more work for the teacher but I think it would be worth it if we just didn't have to worry about the high stakes of testing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should be able to trust in parents and teachers to do their jobs and ensure that kids are learning. It is totally unfair to boil kids down to a number like we do. Portfolio assessments seem to be one of the ways to help show natural learning. They do sound like a lot of work to start, but as with anything that is truly worth it, there is usually work involved. In addition to showing student growth over time, the process of students selecting work to submit to the portfolio can help them internalize what they are learning and what makes them successful. This kind of self-reflection is shown to improve student learning as well.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your inclusion of a link--very informative blog! Johnna
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