In my first blog entry, I posed several questions to myself that I hoped to answer throughout the semester as I researched this topic of standardized testing. Two of those questions read: Why and how do teachers “teach to the test”? and As for those exceptional teachers who seem to go above and beyond the required curriculum, how do they do it and what do their colleagues think about their teaching methods? I was very excited when I found this article that I have chosen to discuss below because it gives me a window into the life of an English teacher and her struggles with standardized testing in the classroom. This article serves to shed some light onto real issues that I (and the rest of my classmates) will be dealing with in the near future.
The article is written by a secondary English teacher, Jennie Rook. Jennie expresses her frustration with standardized testing, as well as some of the ways it’s changed the way she teaches reading to her students.
State assessment tests have lost their value
by Jennie Rook, Clarence Center secondary education teacher
The Buffalo News, January 27, 2007
In 2002, No Child Left Behind had a comforting ring to it. No child will fall through the cracks; no child should fail. Five years later, I am truly struggling with this education legislation.My primary goal as an English teacher is to help kids grow into better human beings. I hope that through the literature and writing I discuss with them in class, they can better shape their thoughts, clarify their positions and decide what they believe in.
I stopped here when I was reading the article—this sounds exactly like the teaching philosophy I have been developing in my mind over the past two years. I want my students to discuss, debate, laugh and struggle, and ultimately, to obtain a better understanding of communication and literature in our world. Now, whether this “ideal” will change over the course of the next few years I can’t say, but I paused for a moment while reading this article to put myself into Jennie’s shoes, because I can see myself with this same mind-set as a new teacher. The article continues:
Sadly, the human aspect of the humanities class I teach has been stripped from my curriculum and replaced with preparation for standardized tests. The logic of this is unclear, unless the only thing we want our children to learn is how to be good test takers…Rather than honing students’ skills, No Child Left Behind places pressure on administrators, and therefore on teachers, to raise test scores so we can score higher than our neighboring districts. How do I know this? If the act advocated the building of skills, I could still teach those skills through the literature and activities I once used.
Instead, I rush through “The Outsiders,” which teaches the importance of loyalty and friendship, and “The Diary of Anne Frank,” which fosters discussion on genocide, social activism and oppression, so that my students can take last year’s assessment.
I stopped here again to consider the YA Lit. that Jennie mentioned. She admits to “rushing through” novels that, in her opinion, are crucial in teaching students that “human aspect” that she referred to. This short paragraph saddened me, as I saw myself facing this same problem. As Jennie struggles with this problem, she discusses her teacher education that prepared her for the classroom.
My education classes in college had titles like “Methods in Teaching.” I wonder now if there ought to be “Methods in State Assessment Preparation.” Student teachers are often criticized for not being familiar enough with the state assessments. In content, state assessment expertise has sadly taken the place of Langston Hughes or Mark Twain. Perhaps we should replace “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” with “The Celebrated List of Jumping Test Scores in Erie County.” …
The approach to these tests has corrupted the way we teach. Every teacher is being left behind in terms of ingenuity, creative lesson planning and integrity within the classroom. Every child is being left behind when it comes to character development, varied educational experiences and autonomous thought.
This article has opened my eyes to the real-life struggles of a classroom English teacher, and has motivated me to begin my search on potential solutions for this problem that Jennie presented. I hope to explore through future blogs and various articles the ways in which teachers deal with the pressure to “teach to the test.” How do they fit both test-preparation and important novels (like Jennie mentioned) into their lessons? I know there are teachers out there that manage to do both, and I’m sure Jennie is trying her hardest as well. Can I find lesson plans where teachers integrate both the humanities aspect and test-prep. together? My search for answers continues…
I ALWAYS get into arguments with my dad about teaching to the test. He is always against teachers—even though his daughter is going to become one–a great one
He thinks that the teacher should get paid more if their students score well. He thinks teachers are overpaid. He thinks teachers have it easy since they get their summers off. blah blah blah more bologna. I think he just likes to hear himself talk. But anyways…
I am so scared that I will not ever be able to teach what I want to teach simply because of a standardized test. Teaching to the test doesn’t do much of anything but promote memorization and it also heightens anxiety.
I hope that there is such a way in which we can incorporate what we want to teach into the test preparations….but it’s highly unlikely. Good luck on your search and when you find something…lemme know!
Have faith in your abilities to teach. Teach your kids what you want them to know — the tests will take care of themselves!
I am an English teacher in Australia. Somehow, I don’t think the Australian curriculum suffers the rigours of yours in the States. We are expected to add creative dimensions to the teaching of texts. The argument is that we must accomodate levels of ability/disability; in jargon terms ‘differential learning’. At least, that is the philosophy of Years 7-10. Years 11 and 12 accommodate more ‘abilty specific’ courses. Only the more ‘imaginative, intelligent’ students select Literature, while the ‘average’ students select English. Those who still battle with literacy skills wander into Foundation English.
So far, this sounds almost heavenly. However, I am battling to encourage regular literacy exercises for Years 7-8. This is the 12-14 years age group. Students seem to forget their literacy skills after Primary years. Practice must be ongoing. I am trying, as the co-ordinator of English at my school, to have this functional lesson at least once a fortnight.