My generation takes our role as parent very seriously. We
labor over every detail from where our children's food is sourced to how our
children learn. Every big decision has been researched and fraught over.
So, in no way do I have any disrespect for the parents who chose last
week to opt-out. I believe that they made the decision they believe is
best for their child. This is simply an explanation as to why I chose
differently. Over the past week, the narrative has belonged to one side of the
story. Here is mine.
(Please indulge the Q & A style blog)
Q - What was your overall reason for having your children take the
standard testing and not opt out?
A - My children attend public school and standardized testing is a
part of the 3rd grade. The testing is very challenging. My hope is to
teach my children to face a challenge and not back down from it. We all
know that life and learning has its fair share of difficulties that we must
walk though and not cut a path around.
Q - Don't you think the 3rd grade is too early to start
standardized testing?
A - No. One of our top priorities for our girls is
preparedness. The more comfortable they are with certain theories, tools
and requirements the better they will do. So, I look at the state tests as
preparation for the big test - the only standardized test most parents
won't opt out of - the SAT. (For the record I took that one twice). The
end goal is that this just becomes a part of the educational process.
1986, was a year of academic challenge for me. My family
made the move to New York state and it didn't take long to realize that I was a
bit academically in over my head. The regents program was a more rigorous
program than I was accustomed to. For the next several months, I worked
very hard to catch up. As the school year wrapped up, I had to face a
week of exams. My parents did all they could to prepare me. The exams were
hard. But when I passed them all, I had never felt so good.
Q - But, don't you agree that tests like this are scary?
A - Every "first" can be frightening. My daughter was
scared out of her mind when she first road her bike without the wheels. But,
the joy in her eyes when she soared down that street without falling was
amazing. As I sent them off to school last Tuesday, of course we all had
anxiety. But, when they got home they said it was fine. It was just
like their other tests in school. The next day, it was business as usual.
Q - Do you see any benefit at all to the perceived excessive test
prep time?
A - During the test preparation period as I worked with my girls,
I became increasingly aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They both have
pacing issues - one is too fast and one is too slow. There are other
issues as well - it was during test prep that these issues became clear.
I had seen glimpses of some of these issues before. But, let's face it
knowing where to focus our attention can be a problem. There is so much
homework and project work combined with the social issues that come up as our
kids get older that the list of things that need our focus is overwhelming. The
test preparation really shined a light on areas that needed immediate attention.
Q - Isn't the amount of test prep time in class stealing time from
real learning?
A - The test preparation at our school consisted of review sheets
for material taught throughout the year. At times it would focus on test
taking strategies. But, all these things are beneficial for my children.
Students in high school and college do the same thing as they prepare for
semester ending finals. Reinforcing previously learned material has
always been essential to true learning.
Q - Come on, isn't material being altered dramatically in the
classroom?
A - I can only speak from my experience. As this year has
progressed and the students steadily moved through their workbooks, I never saw
material neglected or taught at an accelerated pace. And not once did I
feel that they were learning something irrelevant. I will say that the
coverage of Social Studies and Science has been a bit light this year.
Q - Aren't you concerned that it is big corporations driving
standardized testing?
A - There is a lot of concern that Pearson is driving the bus when
it comes to the latest round of standardized testing. It's a logical
argument. They have their hands in every aspect of the education process.
That is concerning. It is also worth considering who benefits as the
"Opt-out" movement grows. Movements by parents for their
children is entirely logical. However, I find it a conflict of interest when
teachers begin pushing this cause.
Q - Isn't a teacher supposed to advocate on their students behalf?
A - Absolutely! However, the fact that this test is being used
to assess both student and teacher does create a conflict of interest.
Q - Do you think it is fair to use these test results for teacher
assessments?
A - The results should be a part of the teacher assessments.
However, they are too heavily weighted. It is not fair to make this count
for fifty percent of their annual assessment. But, this should not play a role
in my decision as a parent for my child. This is an issue for the
teachers, teachers union and school leadership.
Q - What do you think of the allegations that some of the material
tested is beyond grade level achievement?
A - This wouldn't surprise me. Standardized testing is to
test all aptitude levels within one grade. So, it is reasonable that a
segment of students would find the test very challenging.
Q - But doesn't that just add frustration for the student, while
he/she is taking the test?
A - This is where proper preparation pays off. In working with my
girls, I have taught them to work through the test, answering the questions
they can and marking the questions that are posing some difficulty. Then go
back and work on the "tough" questions. It is also important
that the child understand that the test will be tough. And, that this
does not mean that they are stupid.
Q - You really think that this will take the pressure off the
student?
A - Every household will determine how important or unimportant
the tests are. Children don't want to fail and they don't want to let
their parents down. They also don't want to be rebuked for doing badly. So, it
all comes down to how you prep your child and how you react once the scores
come in. In my home we did our best to fortify our kids test taking
challenges during our prep. Once the test was taken, we told them we were proud
of their efforts and moved on.
Q - Why are you so willing to go along with this testing?
A - Over the years we have seen a variety of educational rankings
that doesn't seem to ever find our country in the top 10. The older I get
the more opportunity (in the form of jobs) I see get moved out of this country
into another. Sadly a reasonable percentage of these countries do land in
or much nearer the top 10 than we do. My assessment, trying a new
approach to education isn't a bad idea. Just as I am open to this present
course, I would have been just as open to No Child Left Behind, Whole Language
etc.
Q - Doesn't this trial and error with curriculum turn our children
into guinea pigs? Don't they deserve better?
A - It is frustrating that every 8 years or so we see a new
curriculum blow into town, This leaves students in a tough spot having to
re-calibrate their learnings. However, if something isn't work, we
shouldn't keep going with it for the sake of consistency. But, I think we
can all agree that given our educational standing in the world, we can do
better.
Q - What do you think of parents who choose to opt-out?
A - This is their choice and I respect their right to make it.
Parents know their children and I would expect them to make the choice
that is in the best interest of their child. Each family has their own
values and I expect them to make decisions that match their values. I recently
read a blog of a family who chose to opt-out based on the conflict testing
posed to their Unitarian faith. It's their choice.
However, I am concerned about the optics. Just a month ago
in Bihar, India the internet was flooded with pictures of parents scaling the
walls of a school to help their children cheat on some very important exams.
Then last week, the news was filled with interviews and pictures of
American parents keeping their children from taking exams. There is a
line of thinking that we shouldn't care what the rest of the world thinks of
us. That is what freedom is all about right? To the rest of the
world freedom is about opportunity. And I agree with that definition of
freedom.
