Educational theorist John Dewey said, "Knowing we cannot teach students everything, it is most important we teach them to learn." In today's education community, this quote would likely be amended to say, "It is most important to teach them how to take a test."
The education system in Colorado has slowly become a collection of abbreviations: CSAP, TCAP, ACT, PLAN, PSAT, SAT. Each of these assessments and measures have become more important over the past few years, and their impact on education will only increase.
The vast majority of high school students will take some form of standardized test in the coming months. While these tests will be only a few hours in length, there exists the potential for the results to shape the future of the students who take the test, their teachers, and the schools they attend.
Colorado has begun putting a greater amount of emphasis on test scores. These scores help determine a school's status and, now, the employment status of teachers. The fact that student test scores are a major part of teacher evaluation creates several unintended consequences.
As an educator, I understand the power that effectively communicating my passion for literature can have on a student. However, while I communicate my love of poetry, it behooves me to also let kids know that on a multiple choice test if there are two opposite answers, one of them is likely the correct choice.
Students should know the real- world implications that algebra can have on their everyday lives. However, teachers would be letting themselves and their students down if they didn't communicate that "no change" is the correct answer more than 20 percent of the time on the ACT.
When writing, it is important to think through your ideas and plan what you will say, how you will make a valid, successful argument. Students may study the first drafts of Robert Frost poetry and see how they differ from the published editions. However, on TCAP (formerly CSAP), they only need to know that the simple act of marking the draft page gives them full credit for planning.
During the ever-expanding testing season, the goal of lessons transforms from student learning to student testing success. In addition to teaching the curriculum, educators need to make certain their pupils understand that unlike the SAT, there is no added penalty for an incorrect answer on the ACT. So guess away.
In 2010, our state legislature decided to make student test scores 50 percent of the evaluation tool for teacher effectiveness. The merits of this number can be, and have been, debated, but the fact remains that survival-minded educators know it is best to drill their students with these test-taking strategies.
Good teachers need to structure their lessons so the information is accessible to different learners. Teachers need to pick the right lessons, with the right activities, to reach all students.
As a parent, I see my child as an individual who deserves a personalized education. I do not want classrooms based on the goal of test performance in lieu of comprehensive lessons.
Certainly great teaching and appropriate student test preparation do not have to be mutually exclusive. However, if the tiebreaker becomes keeping their job, it is easy to imagine that most teachers would err on the side of caution.
Quality teachers understand that there can be no one-size-fits-all approach to education. By putting so much emphasis on test scores, the goal of education can become so blurred that selecting the right answer becomes more important than understanding the right answer.
The focus of education reform needs to be on giving teachers the support and tools to provide instruction that reaches all students in their classes.
Our expectations need to be for teachers to inspire all of the different learners in their class. Relying so heavily on test scores will lead to having teachers who simply tell kids, "When in doubt, pick 'C.' "
Brian P. Kurz is an English teacher in the Cherry Creek School District. He lives in Stapleton with his wife and daughter.