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An exercise in futility

Standardized testing frustrating to teachers and students alike. Our teachers and our children lose, and those in the standardized testing industry are making a killing.

Editorial

Multiple choice question; pick the answer closest to reality:

A) The TAKS test is a clear indication of how well our children are being taught.

B) The TAKS test is an effective measure of how well our teachers are teaching.

C) The TAKS test is the only way the government can impose accountability, so we must suffer through the process.

D) Let’s not make another student take a TAKS test for as long as she lives.


If you answered D, you’re as frustrated as we are — and have always been — with the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exams.

So much emphasis is placed on the process, we wonder, at what expense? So much energy is focused on teaching to the TAKS, we wonder, at what expense? So much pressure is placed on school districts to administer the test effectively, we wonder, who really benefits from all that expense?

Our teachers and our children lose, and those in the standardized testing industry are making a killing.

That's the business side of the TAKS, where lobbyists and testing companies come out on top.

Our latest examination of the TAKS test, a story published Friday, shows even more frustrating aspects of the TAKS, including the fact that teachers can’t learn from their mistakes.

Because the state has recently decided to only release the tests once every three years, teachers can’t look back and see where they’re succeeding or, better yet, lacking.

"After spending the entire year getting my students ready for the test," said chemistry teacher Shelby Patrick. "I will not be able to do a post-evaluation to see what I got right and what I missed. So when the next year starts, I’m right back to square one, without any better clue as to what works. It’s akin to being convicted by a jury without being able to review the evidence presented against you."

If you can't assess yourself year over year, what's the point?

The test also has hidden land mines, hard questions that students probably couldn't answer if they spent the whole year on the subject. And the land mine blows their mind, shatters their confidence somewhat and drains their stamina.

Field questions, as they are called, are thrown in and don't count. But a student doesn't know which ones don't count and must exhaust energy on all of them, regardless.

It's ridiculous.

The TAKS addresses a problem — accountability within our schools — and creates a bigger crisis. The test becomes the ominous cloud hovering over every educator and student, looming on the horizon, reminding students that it's all or nothing.

Yes, we need accountability, but that assessment should be left up to the individual districts, who know their demographics better than someone in Austin, know the limitations and language barriers, know best how their students are grasping concepts, not multiple choice questions.

And the cottage industry borne out of standardized testing would dry up. That's a pipe dream, though, since the lobbying power supersedes any thought to what's best for the children.

It's a frustrating reality, but our local teachers have no choice. They cannot answer "D."

— Editorial
Times Record News
2008-04-13
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/apr/13/exercise-futility/

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