Current Student Testing Needs to be Left Behind
Standardized tests are the backbone of tracking student progress. Each year, students in certain grades are subject to a variety of tests to determine their progress. Schools and teachers are also measured with the scores of their students. Schools and teachers do need to be held to a high standard when they have such a stong influence on the future of our country. However, the standards must be fair.
Is the current testing accurately reflecting a teacher’s ability and a school’s success?
The current testing procedure does not track individual student progress, instead, it takes a look at the scores in the same grade level year over year. Any educator can tell you that there is a distinct generational difference between, say, this year’s 6th grade and last year’s 6th grade. Each year of students having their own unique needs. You end up comparing apples to oranges.
Instead of tracking entire grades of students, we need to focus more on tracking individual student progress. Instead of looking at the entire 6th grade and concluding that 85% the students pass this year instead of the 90% who passed last year constitutes a failure on the teacher and/or school, we need to look at the students individually.
If in the 5th grade, little Johnny was reading on a grade 3 level, but now in the 6th grade, he is reading on a grade 5 level, then he’s made great progress and that should reflect on the teacher and the school as a positive. True, he’s still below grade level, but it is not only difficult, but unfair to expect a teacher or a student to improve 3 grade levels in just one year. Especially when you have at least 20 other students on different levels and different aptitudes.
It’s true that teachers and schools must be able to serve students who range from very low to very high, and most do this very well. However, the current standard of testing does not take into account that the majority of last year’s class were high-level students, but the majority of this year’s class are lower-level students. Each year, the individual student may have made adequate progress, but the class as a whole, when compare to last year’s class, did not. So, which is the more accurate picture?
By tracking an individual student’s progress, educators can target lessons to address weaknesses and challenge strengths.
If we truly want to leave no child behind, then we need to update our evaluation systems.