I do not remember taking a standardized test until I took the P-SAT in 10th grade. I do not remember studying for it or getting pressure at home. Now kindergarteners have to learn to fill in bubbles to take standardized tests.
The past few years, I have watched high-stakes testing drastically change the teaching and learning at my elementary school. Most of the year, the school strives to provide an academically rigorous core curriculum that also includes science, chess, art, dance and sports. The classes take lots of field trips and the notion of teaching the whole child is entertained. As the grades go up near state testing years, things start to change. The first state tests are in third grade. The tests are in literacy and math. When the kids are in second grade, many kids are kept for after school tutoring throughout the year get them up to speed for the third grade tests. Once they are in third grade, any kids who might not get a 3 or 4 on the test are kept for tutoring everyday, and have to come to Saturday tutoring as the tests get closer.
Despite our school having all the ingredients in place for acing the state tests (excellent teachers, dedicated school mission, choice of curriculum, support staff, strong leadership, supportive parents etc.) a fear goes through the school every year. All the doubts about the education we are providing the kids come up. What if they are not learning as much as our data shows? What if they fail? What if we don’t give them a ton of test prep, and then they do poorly? What if they do poorly because we give them too much test prep and do not really teach the material for mastery? These fears are heightened due to the nature of the charter school, more freedom and more accountability. The school must have amazing results to prove they should get to continue providing educations.
All of this fear results in one thing- test prep hell. Starting at third grade, the students spend the three months of the year leading up to the test on one thing, test prep. Test prep consists of teaching students the skills needed to do well on standardized tests. Mostly, practice sheets, practice tests, reading/math, math/reading, all day long. As the art teacher I am not part of this, but I can tell when it starts. First, when the upper grade kids come to art, a large group of each class is mysteriously missing. The teachers mention they are in a tutoring group. Next, the kids are super hyper and un-focused, kind of like they have been sitting quietly in a room filling in bubbles all day. I try to plan test-prep art therapy units during this time to give them an emotional release. Then I am asked why they art projects are not rigorous enough.
It is so sad that well meaning educators are put in this situation, and are too scared to trust in the teaching and learning taking place, to ensure the students will ace the state exams. It is also sad that the students are the ones who suffer. We have eight and nine year old so anxious to take the test they feel sick. W have eight and nine year olds who are so tired of needing extra tutoring they have given up on school. We have kids bribed all year to do what they teachers need them to do so they can keep the broken system going. We have stressed children and stressed adults all trying to prove how smart the school is and how smart the kids are. When will the American educational structure finally change?
