A Teacher, Parent and Board Member Respond-Wow !

#1
I have been concerned with the use of simplistic, standardized tests myentire teaching career (30+ years). NCLB has made things even worse! FUSDis now totally involved in teaching to the test with little regard for itsclientele. We have the largest pockets of poverty and second languagespeakers of English in the entire nation! We are told we can't use thesethings as "excuses" and THAT is total insanity! The vast majority of teachers agree with Rog Lucido that standardized testing and scripted reading programs are destroying teaching and learning!Reading can be taught with ANY subject, so why not use science or socialstudies and other real topics that motivate students? All of this "drill andkill" didn't work 30 years ago, when scores were posted in school offices,what makes anyone think these methods and testing insanity will work nowwhen we have such a different population of students? I advise all teachersand parents to go to Lucido'website: www.testingabuse.blogspot.com andbecome involved in our children's education. We all need to have input, notjust blindly follow what the politicians tell us is right. Pete Mehas iswrong! We ARE simply teaching to the test and that is counter to ignitingcuriosity and creating students who THINK and become productive citizens.Help "change the insanity"! Hopefully with more media attention like this, parents and teachers will start speaking up beforeEVERY child is left behind!Thank you!Susan Schmale

#2
My children were educated in the Clovis Unified District. I, however, was not the model Clovis parent. Mainly because I do not agree with the Clovis "way of learning" which incidentally, involves taking certain parental duties and rights out of the hands of parents.Although I believe my children received a better education than I did many moons ago, I saw a disturbing trend. I saw the emphasis in their education shift and critical thinking skills deemphasized as the emphasis was directed towards standardized testing performance. This school district begins weeks before the actual test by distributing letters to the home instructing the parents on "do's and don'ts" in preparation for the tests. The memos even instruct the parents on what and when to feed the child to "achieve the optimum test results." As the years went by, I noticed more and more time and attention was focused on the schools' expectations for the tests. Less and less time was spent on developing a love of learning, critical thinking skills, and "hands on" application of learning. I never pressured my children to do well on the standardized tests - in fact, I often told them, "no matter what pressure they try to place on you at school over this test, don't worry about it - a single test does not tell me what your capabilities or accomplishments are." My daughter's scores on the tests often merely reflected what I already knew - higher scores in those areas which came easier to her, and low scores in those areas which she did not enjoy.My daughter applied for and attended CART her senior year. She earned straight "A's" for the first time in her 12 years of education. But, more importantly, she displayed an interest in learning. She came home everyday excited to talk about what she had done in school that day. The "hands-on" approach at CART, and the de-emphasis on testing, was the way she learned best. How sadly ironic.I see a parallel between the environment that our children now live in within their schools, and another testing situation which has plagued adults for years here in California - the California Bar Exam. There are many quite intelligent individuals who graduate law school yet fail to pass the state bar exam. The pass rate is always less than 50%, sometimes closer to 46%. I have met and opposed many practicing attorneys who passed on their first try who coincidentally appear less than competent. And, I know many more individuals who are still taking this test, not able yet to achieve a passing score, who are quite capable and would be excellent, ethical, competent attorneys. The only difference? One achieved a certain score on a test. Does the test insure competency or ethical character? No. From my own personal experience, the first time I took the Bar Exam I knew the law more competently and completely than I did on any subsequent attempts. The time I passed the exam? I simplified my knowledge. I paid a "tutor," not to refresh my knowledge on the law, but to tell me how to write on this exam in order to receive the most points. I had to "simplify" my knowledge in order to give the examiner what he wanted, and thus in order to receive "maximum points." In other words, it wasn't what I knew, or what kind of lawyer I would make that was important. Passing the test came down to learning how to present what I knew in a different manner which would satisfy the examiner. Did I possess more knowledge when I passed compared to when I did not? No. What I did was spend my time studying testing approaches rather than the law. Certainly not what I want to see children endure in their public education.Generally, my children's performance on standardized tests reflected what I already knew from my own schooling - it does not accurately reflect what one has learned in a given subject. Nor does it accurately reflect one's capabilities in academics or life. The lowest grades I ever received on law school exams were in courses from which I gained the most knowledge. Go figure.

Chris Black

#3
I am a board member with the Visalia Unifies School District and I, too, am concerned with this testing madness. Not only does it put a great deal of unfair pressure on the students, but it the system currently in use unfairly demeans the efforts of schools and districts. Like you, I am not convinced that the current system actually tells us what really is happening education wise with our students and like you I believe that it stiffles the innate curiosity that students all have making "school" a chore rather that an exciting adventure. So good luck with you rebellion. If more and more people start to say something, maybe we came start to tame this beast.
Rodney Elder