Reading through the comments on this earlier post it is clear that many teachers and parents are troubled by distortions that are caused by a disproportionate focus on standardized testing. Several comments point out rightfully that I failed to mention the CAPT testing as well. I should have. Issues related to the amount of time taken away by the testing program were raised in a number of comments. In the high school, Ellen pointed out, even the students who are not tested in her school are losing two hours a day for two weeks because the length of classes are truncated. And then the issue of students with special needs and those students in alternative programs - students who simply are not able to perform well on tests - was raised in a number of thoughtful comments. Several teachers indicated that morale has never been lower and that it is increasingly difficult to derive joy from their work. This is something that I have heard increasingly from teachers and does not bode well for the future. The good news is that we have the beginnings of a much-needed dialogue. Keep the comments coming.
Response to Comments on Impact of Testing on the School Post
March 20, 2008 · 4 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
4 responses so far ↓
Ashley // March 28, 2008 at 11:00 am
Speaking of CAPT, will CAPT play a role in the ed commissioner’s high school reform plan? I’m interested in hearing from you about this.
bill // March 31, 2008 at 8:51 am
Of course standardized testing is stupid. Paying teachers and administrators huge money for a part time job is stupid too. This insanity won’t end though until it all collapses under its own weight.
Shelby // March 31, 2008 at 4:58 pm
As a student who just recently took the CAPT, I can testify to how disturbing the testing is to our school day. Teachers could not give normal quizzes; homework was disjointed. My English teacher changed our curriculum so that we would not be testing during the middle of our Shakespeare unit. I feel that more and more pressure is coming from how well we do on these tests. How can the knowledge of 10 years of school possibly be played out in two weeks? In order to prepare us for the CAPT testing, we were doing labs and essays from previous years in eighth grade. If a student’s progress is to be accurately measured, it cannot be forced out of them in two weeks of cold classroom sessions, but in an overall view of coursework and end of term exams.
Icant Orelse // April 7, 2008 at 8:44 am
In our school, students who were not taking the CAPT test (9th, 11th, 12th) sat in large “holding areas” for approximately two hours everyday-no activities were planned. Obviously this led to huge safety issues, not to mention the lack of instruction. I could go on but I am sure that you get the idea. Kids don’t matter, only numbers. Has America become more or less competitive since NCLB?
Leave a Comment