Standardized Testing Fails the Exam by W. James Popham is one of the greatest articles out. I am emailing it to all the teachers and administrators I know. As an educator, I have to agree with the key part of the article which states “If enough educators --and noneducators -- realize there are serious flaws in how we evaluate our schools, maybe we can stop this absurdity.”

Basing what our students have learned in an entire school year on one standardized test does not show if our students have mastered the concepts taught. It proved that our students have mastered how to take a test. All year long, in my district, we are focused on students passing and exceeding on the standardized test that we take each spring. “We have to make sure we AT LEAST cover all the content so the students can be exposed to it.” I can hear my principal say. All awhile I ask myself, “How does this method help my students?” This week we are working on cause and effect, next week compare and contrast, the week after that fantasy versus realism. How do we expect 6 year olds to grasp all of those concepts in the week period that we are teaching them? One can only scaffold and build on prior knowledge so much. Mastering a concept takes time, hands-on experiences and in-depth analysis of that concept. A week to introduce, do an activity or two, assess and then move on to the next concept isn’t enough time.

It is very frustrating as a teacher to have this over-barring test lurking in the darkness as the only form of accountability to my effectiveness as an educator. The sad part is that when all the weight it put on a test, it leads to cheating, which many teachers have been found guilty of.

The saddest part is through of this testing, students are the one getting the short end of the stick.