In New York, some 3,300 schools will hold field tests in English and math for nearly 374,000 students in June. Starting next school year, more than one million students in 22 states are expected to take the tests, in an effort to help develop a national exam modeled on the new standards, known as the Common Core.
Field test results have no consequences for students or teachers, but that has not placated parents and testing skeptics, who say they turn classrooms into focus groups and add more stress to a process that is already filled with anxiety.
In New York City, where much of the anger has erupted, parents are planning boycotts of the exams and have called on state officials to require parental permission for students to participate. A few principals have refused to administer some field tests, sending back boxes of the shrink-wrapped booklets.
Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, said she would work with state and city lawmakers to end the city’s participation in field tests.
“There is simply no reason why we’re having children be guinea pigs,” Ms. Quinn said. “For God’s sake, we pay these testing companies enough that they should do their own focus groups.”
Of course if they end the stand alone field tests, they'll just have to add the field test questions to the real exams.
And since students already had difficulty finishing the real exams because there are already some field tested items contained therein as well as much more material than in previous state tests, that seems like it would be problematic too.
The only solution seems to be to end the insane policy of "All Hail The Great Tests" that we have followed since No Child Left Behind, the same policy that Prsident Obama doubled down upon with Race to the Top.
I doubt that the state officials who wholeheartedly support the testing industrial complex (and in the case of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, enjoy family income from it) are going to end the "All Hail The Great Tests" without a fight.
But as the Times article notes, that fight has been brewing:
And supporters of the Common Core standards worry that the furor over field tests, along with growing skepticism among conservatives about the idea of standards embraced by the federal government, could undermine what they consider one of the most significant reforms to the American education system in decades.
“We’re seeing the early glimmers of a bigger fight,” said Frederick M. Hess, an education scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “The real question is if states can keep those concerns isolated.”
When a politician like Christine Quinn jumps in on the side of parents concerned about the field tests, you know some of the politicians are seeing the glimmers of the bigger fight over testing and ed policy too and are making sure they get one foot in with the side parents are on.
Tisch, King and Cuomo are not on that side just yet, but I guarantee you an elected official like Cuomo can be brought to that side - especially as his popularity and approval ratings fall.
Tisch and King will never be brought to that side, but they can be fired.
Ultimately if we want the end of the field tests and the "All Hail The Great Tests" movement, this is what will have to happen.
As Hess said in the Times piece, we're starting to get glimmers that could happen.
That's why the ed deformers are getting so shrill these days in their defense of the testing industrial complex.
The fight is going to be long and hard - but it is winnable.
You know that's so when even Christine Quinn sees the insanity in the field testing.
Another clear indication that the Quinn camp is worried about the primary. Quinn who allowed the leader of the reform crowd mayor Bloomberg a third term now sees the light. I never once believed the poll numbers on the presumed front runner and now it a tight race so the Quinn folks are pulling out some stops. Also, her reception at education forums no doubt has the council speaker scared dooddoish.
ReplyDeleteI agree - they're worried. It's also an indication that even after the primary, these politicians are starting to get that message that being 100% corporate reform will harm them politically.
DeleteJust want to give a pop to the remarkable Fred Smith from Change the Stakes who turned what was a one man crusade on field tests into a movement. Fred came to ICE many years ago on his quest because we were the only place for people like him to go. Since then his relentless quest has taken him to GEM and now its offshoot Change the Stakes. The point I want to make is that nothing happens unless people act even if just one person.
ReplyDelete