It is worth repeating that there is no question that assessment/testing will continue to be a central element in our public education system. But can we at least agree that the most important assessments are those that are closest to and contribute directly to the teaching /learning process. All too frequently these so-called formative assessments get lost in the debate and yet they provide the most immediate feedback to students about the degree to which they are learning what is being taught and to teachers about the effectiveness of their teaching. Of even more importance formative assessments provide information necessary to tailor instruction to the needs of individual students.
Statewide tests such as the CMT (Connecticut Mastery Test) serve as a vehicle for benchmarking the school’s performance against state standards. In the hands of a well-trained instructional leader and an equally well-trained teaching staff this data can be a rich source for analysis of the effectiveness of instruction and identifying strengths and weaknesses. It is hard to see any benefit that the individual student derives from taking the CMT. The comparison is between this year’s 4th graders and last year’s 4th graders. NCLB focuses on the performance of schools and districts and by adding sanctions into the mix dramatically elevated the stakes attached to the CMT.
CAPT (Connecticut Academic performance Test) the high school test is one whose role and stakes are in transformation. For the state and NCLB, CAPT is the benchmarking instrument for CT’s high schools, until recently there were no real stakes for students then the state required local districts to make CAPT a factor in their high school graduation requirements. This must truly be a confusing time for parents and I have not mentioned NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) - the “nation’s report card” nor the international tests.
All these tests have a role and each contributes to the policy and political debate, but contribute less (some would say little or nothing) to the day to day struggle of the teacher and his/her students.
Rick Stiggens, the founder of the Educational Testing Service’s Assessment Training Institute in a commentary for Education Week captures the heart of the problem succinctly:
America has spent 60 years building layer upon layer of district, state, national and international assessments at immense cost - and with little evidence that our assessment practices have improved learning. True testing data have revealed achievement problems. But revealing problems and helping fix them are two entirely different things.
As a member of the measurement community. I find this legacy very discouraging. It causes me to reflect deeply on role and function. Are we helping students and teachers with our assessment practices or contributing to their problems?
from Five Assessment Myths and Their Consequences Education Week Oct. 17, 2007
2 responses so far ↓
Dr. Sanford Aranoff // April 11, 2008 at 4:38 pm
What is more important than assessment is knowing the subject and how to teach. See the new book on amazon.com: “Teaching and Helping Students Think and Do Better”.
Lisa // April 25, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I work in a middle school and remember taking the CMTs as a child. As with the SATs, they did not show my true ability. People have multiple intelligences, yet these tests only represent one way of thinking. For many, they are anxiety provoking, stressful, and a way of making those that do not test well feel inadequate and insignificant. In my case they were in no way indicative of my ability to perform in h.s., undergrad, or graduate school, or my potential as a productive member of society.
School districts today are essentially teaching to the test, so that test scores can rise, and they can pass NCLB. Some of these students are ESL and Sped, with diagnosed learning disabilities, or minimal language proficiency, and we are expecting them to perform on grade level???? The last thing these students need is to be made to feel even more inadequate than they already do.
3 weeks of instruction is given up up for testing purposes, and this year many districts gave up their much needed February vacation for CMT prep. Teachers and staff are stressed, and students are more stressed and anxious than ever before. No wonder anxiety disorders, depression, and suicide rates are on the rise. By the way, I am a school counselor. I give up over 3 weeks of my time, organizing, proctoring, and providing make up CMT exams to students. This is valuable time when I am not available for my 330 needy, stressed students!!!! What is more important, a test or students’ overall well being?
In response to the pressure felt by students and staff, we have been running staff workshops on test anxiety - signs and ways to minimize it for students, after school yoga for staff, test anxiety workshops for students - teaching students about the origins of anxiety, test taking strategies, visualization, meditation and guided relaxation, and we built time into the CMT schedule to begin testing with relaxation.
All this for a state test? Is it worth it?
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