Tuesday, April 17, 2018

ISTEP What Else?

This time of year, people like to comment on the fact that, "kids are not numbers," and "tests are not an indication of what kids are capable of," and all that is true, but can we take a moment to discuss the elephant in the room?

I don't think it's the potential test scores that stress us all out. No. I think it is the CIA level security we have to have.

Tests are in a locked room in the office where few have keys to open. Teachers have to sign out the tote with their class's information.
The totes are not to leave the teacher's sight.
Teachers must have proctors to help monitor the room.
Instructions must be read in the same way every test, every time.
The teacher and proctor must circle the room over and over and over, annoying the kids, in an attempt to be sure they aren't cheating.
The teacher and proctor may only say, "I'm sorry, I can't help you. Just do the best you can."
The teacher and proctor must keep their faces neutral so as not to indicate what the answer might be.
Once the test is over, scrap paper must be collected and counted to be sure no one copied questions.
Pencils must be collected and counted, because they can't use their own pencils-- they may use the wrong kind.
Every manipulative handed out must be collected and counted.
Once everything has been collected and counted, they are returned to the tote.
The teacher then must return the tote to the locked room.
The kids are told not to discuss the test with ANYONE.
Staff are forbidden to talk about the test with ANYONE including each other.

Then you have to take into account the kids who are sick and need to make up a test. The Sped kids who have accommodations need certified teachers to give the tests.

Life as usual, literally grinds to a halt, so the entire state can take spend thousands of dollars, not on resources to enhance education, but to testing companies who develop and implement tests that spotlight what we haven't taught properly (according to them). Doing well on the tests gives us money so we can afford next years tests.

So, no, The Test is not a representation of what our kids know, it is a representation of how we can keep secrets.


2 comments:

  1. Oh my, you speak the truth here. The facts you lay out here so concisely paint the bleak picture of misguided values we experience every April. Well-done!

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  2. I hadn't thought of this perspective, but you're so right! Your list does such a great job of conveying the skewed importance we give these tests.

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