Standardized testing has long been a topic of debate in Massachusetts. Back when I was in high school, the MCAS had just been approved by the state as a prerequisite for graduation, but luckily my class was one of the last that had been grandfathered into not having to pass. The US education system has long been in favor of these types of testing, as these educators believe that they give an accurate picture of student’s capabilities. However, many other educators disagree on this, and the tides are starting to turn against standardized testing in Massachusetts. To this, I say: FINALLY. I believe that standardized testing favors students who are better test takers, and does a disservice to students who might do better being evaluated in a different manner, like hands-on, or through writing.
My mother was a 30 year teacher in the Webster Massachusetts school system, teaching 3rd grade. One of the largest reasons she decided to retire when she did, was due to the MCAS standardized test. MCAS “are a set of exams used to assess Massachusetts’ statewide education standards… all students in grades 3-8 and 10 at schools that receive funding must take the exam each year” (MCAS website, 2015). As a 30 year teacher, my mother was forced to restructure what she taught every year, so that students were able to pass this test. Her students were no longer able to take advantage of my mother’s long history in teaching and her personal knowledge of what they would need to know to become lifelong lovers of learning. They now needed to learn what the MCAS testing booklet had to tell them. The state of Massachusetts is now in the process of replacing the MCAS test with the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) test, which will enforce time limits and needs to be taken on a computer, which may hinder those students in “poorer districts who may not have as much practice or access to computers” (MCAS website, 2015). This test is also Common-Core aligned, which creates a debate in itself.
Luckily, many in the state are starting to push back against these limited tests, stating that “the over-emphasis on testing in the state has become too much of a distraction in classrooms” (O’Connell, 2015). Many parents, students, lawmakers, and educators are starting to speak out against testing, feeling though it has become overly entrenched in schools, taking away from “valuable classroom instruction” (O’Connell, 2015). Unfortunately, every state is required under federal law, to have some type of student assessment. But, unlike many other states, Massachusetts does not tie funding to test results. School committee member of Worcester, Tracy O’Connell Novick, argued that the state’s emphasis on standardized testing is at odds with state laws which call for a balanced approach to assessment (O’Connell, 2015).
Barbara Madeloni is the new Massachusetts Teacher’s Association president, and is leading a fight against standardized testing in the state. Along with the rest of the teachers’ union, she is introducing a bill “that would put a three-year moratorium on using standardized tests for high-stakes purposes, such as halting graduation, evaluating teachers, or restructuring schools” (Weiss, 2015). Madeloni, along with the growing national backlash against standardized testing, may actually give this bill a chance of passing this year. Similar notions are backed by many others, including outgoing Education Secretary Matthew Malone who “complained about assessment gone wild”, and Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester who ordered a study on whether we test too much (Weiss, 2015). All of these accounts make you really think about the worth of a testing system that’s gone way beyond what it was originally designed to do.
As a relatively new parent, I think this topic is something that needs to be more widely discussed and debated. As the daughter of a teacher and someone who has taken these tests personally, I do see that diagnostic testing has its place. It’s necessary to know where a student and a school stand academically, and standards need to be put into place. What I feel like we’re seeing here in Massachusetts is testing overkill. We need to find some sort of balance between two extremes. The hope is that Massachusetts, “once a leader in setting educational standards, could help set new standards for a testing strategy that’s reasonable and sane” (Weiss, 2015). I hope this is exactly what happens before my daughter enters school and begins learning about how to pass a test instead of what she needs to know about how to succeed in life.
#standardized #testing… what people are saying:
https://twitter.com/iamjohnoliver/status/595228851757801472
https://twitter.com/dianeravitch/status/586929313724833794
https://twitter.com/john_merrow/status/599054580891156481
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For more information, check out:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html
http://www.time4learning.com/testprep/
Reflections:
As the writer of this blog and of this particular page, I have attempted to give my readers as much information as possible on this particular topic. My goal was to be as informative as possible, while still retaining the reader’s attention and interest. Though this site reflects my opinion on this particular topic, please be aware that many other opinions exist and this is merely mine. More information can be found on this topic through a simple internet search. Please feel free to refute, comment, or post links to alternate points of view in the comments section below. An open discussion on this topic is highly encouraged, and I’d like to know what you think. I will not edit or erase any comments posted to this blog, but please be assured, this conversation should be based on educated opinions and intolerant or disrespectful comments will be ignored.
I have also attempted to use sources that are highly credible for this post. Each author and quote has been vetted through background searches, but have been chosen to support my personal view on this topic. Opinions will always play a role in writing, regardless of the source, so please keep that in mind while reading about this topic. A large amount of information for this article was written based of statistics found directly in the MCAS and PARCC Massachusetts funded sites, which I hope lends to the credibility of this article. I am not a professional journalist, merely a Communications master’s degree candidate and this blog is part of a course assignment. Please keep this in mind while you are reading this article as well, as since this is a blog, not being written for a journalistic source or for profit, I may hold myself to a different standard than a professional in the field. As a producer of original content on this blog, I feel I owe my readers this semblance of a disclaimer.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this page. I greatly appreciate any feedback on how this blog or page can be improved. Please also let me know if you’d rather not hear any more from me on this or any other topic. I may not listen, but it would be good to know! As I said, I am fully open to discourse on this, or any other, topic. I hope you enjoyed this, and I look forward to creating more informative and interesting content for my readers in the future.
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References:
O’Connell, S. (2015) Worcester school committee supports temporary halt to high-stakes testing. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved from http://www.telegram.com/article/20150604/NEWS/150609512/101370
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System website. Retrieved from http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html
The Learning Lab. (2014) PARCC, MCAS and the future of standardized testing in Massachusetts. (2014) Retrieved from http://learninglab.wbur.org/topics/parcc-mcas-and-the-future-of-standardized-testing-in-massachusetts/
Weiss, J. (2015) Can the tide turn against standardized testing. The Boston Globe. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/01/13/can-tide-turn-against-standardized-testing/Wzuyqi0aja3SAqmqWzlmpN/story.html
dianafiorentino 