It was Tuesday evening on my Alternative Breaks spring break trip nearly a month ago, and I was volunteering at an after-school program at a local elementary school in Beaumont, Texas.
One of the teachers in charge of the program looked barely older than me, and seemed somewhat “new” to the school and program. (I could tell this because she didn’t really talk to anyone during the dinner-activities we did.) I introduced myself to her as one of the site leaders for our group, and began talking with her about the school and the program, FAST (Families and Schools Together), that we were working with. Some how we got on the topic of teaching and education (I told her I was going into education), and I learned some really interesting facts about standardized testing in Texas that pertain to my blog.
In Texas, students MUST PASS the state administered standardized test at the end of each grade level in order to move to the next grade!
In talking to this young teacher, I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. I immediatley started asking her all the questions I’ve had in my head while working on this blog. What is your curriculum like? What do parents think? How do you prepare students? Do you have any say in your curriculum? Questions just seemed to fly out of my mouth, and she answered them the best she could.
Now, obviously, I did not quote her by any means, but the conversation is still pretty vivid in my head because I found it so amazing. Basically, she said that as teachers, their job is to teach to the test. If their students don’t pass the test, they are retained and must repeat the grade over the following year. She said there is a lot of pressure placed on teachers to prepare the students well, so much of their lessons revolve around practice tests and prompted writing assignments. I also remember her saying that testing is taken very seriously by the teachers and students alike.
She asked me what kind of standardized testing Michigan has, and I told her a little about the MEAP. She couldn’t believe that our student’s weren’t retained for failing the MEAP (in all cases except for 11th grade). I explained to her that some students recieve scholarship money towards college if they do well on the 11th grade MEAP, but there really aren’t any reprocussions if a student does poorly. I also told her that many parents are opposed to testing and will actually hold their students at home for the duration of the MEAP. Obviously, this wouldn’t go over very well in Texas where the student must pass a test each year to move to the next grade.
Although my conversation with her lasted at most 10 minutes, I learned a great deal about the different ways testing can be viewed. Most student in Michigan probably view the MEAP as stupid or pointless(I know I did), whereas the students in Texas probably view their statewide test much like college-bound students view the ACT/SATs. To them, testing determines the next step of their future.
This is not to say that testing students to allow them to continue to the next grade level is a positive program (becuase personally, I think it’s a horrible idea). But at least this conversation I had shows how seriously some students, teachers, and entire states take standardized testing. For teachers in Texas, it seems that teaching to the test is the sole purpose within their classroom.
I hate this. I hate any type of standardized testing and how it will either help or hinder whole districts, particular schools, or particular teachers and students.
There are more problems in this world that children are dealing with day in and day out. They are worried if there will be anyone home when they get out of school that day. They are wondering if there will be food on the dinner table tonight or even trying to figure out when their next meal will be. They are trying to figure out why their dad is not around as much anymore or why their mother comes home so late all of the time, drunk.
These kids get one shot at a test. If they fail it-they will be held back? This makes me so mad. I know they when I was in 8th grade my grandmother died. She died during testing week. My mind was NOT focused at all. I was trying to grieve my grandmother while my teachers shoved these tests down my throat. I wanted to cry. I was not in the right state mentally to take these tests. So how do they expect all children to pass when each child is going through a variety of different problems??
These tests are destroying the little amount of hope that some children have in life.
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Agent.