Question:
What were your own experiences with standardized testing when you were a student in middle or high school?
Response:
I am a product of the No Child Left Behind Act so it was not until college that I thought twice about standardized testing. As a middle school student I remember taking standardized test as a way of "checking" up on my academic progress. I was a part of the "gifted" program so excelling at these test were more than desired, they were required. I never tested poorly, which may be why I never gave the entire process a second thought. In high school I changed counties and lost all my academic records from middle school. I was placed on a lower track and stayed there until my mother got me out. It was then that I began to see the importance of these test scores. I was in the gifted program from the 3rd grade because of my scores, however as soon as the scores were lost my quality of work was not sufficient enough to prove my academic potential. I am interested in finding out how the standards movement affects students, especially those who unlike myself, continue to be academically suppressed simply because of their scores.
Hey Kirnel,
ReplyDeleteI think that its always important to view a student outside of testing. When teachers see students not simply as test takers but as holistic individuals then we can move from simply teaching to the test to teaching students to be global citizens.
Dear Kirnel,
ReplyDeleteThis line in your response really interested me: "I was in the gifted program from the 3rd grade because of my scores, however as soon as the scores were lost my quality of work was not sufficient enough to prove my academic potential." I may be misunderstanding what you're saying, but it seems you are suggesting that when you moved to a new school system, you were no longer placed in gifted classes because the level of work you did was not considered "high quality" enough to "count" as the work of an advanced student in that system? You also suggest that your mother was able to get you moved into different classes. That's good (it seems), but what was the rationale she used that allowed her to make a strong case? It seems she understood how the system worked and how to "get around it." I may be misinterpreting what you're saying.
In any case, your story is certainly an interesting one and it points to the inherent issues with the reliance on test scores to "prove" achievement. I'd be interested to hear more about this experience some time.
I'll look forward to reading your future blog posts.
Best,
Dr. Emert
What I meant by that line was that I had great grades while the gifted title was attached, but once that no longer existed my work quality didn't decrease but it didn't seem to matter because I was no longer labelled "gifted". ANd my mother is a very demanding woman so she usually gets what she wants, especially in relation to her children's education. Does this make sense? If not I can gladly talk to you about it after class or during office hours, it is quit interesting.
ReplyDelete