Today's newspaper had a review of Linda Perlstein's book, Tested. Perlstein studied Tyler Heights Elementary School in suburban Annapolis, Maryland, a school that consists of mostly poor and minority students in an area surrounded by schools with affluent and academically prepared students. Unlike most schools, Tyler had funds available to close the gap. In 2005 test scores improved dramatically. She then questions whether this was a fluke or did the scripted lessons and teaching-to the-test pay off and if so, is it worthwhile for other states to follow? She questioned standards--were they lowered enough so everyone could pass? And she questioned, could the school repeat the performance?
Perlstein ending up finding that the school was not obsessed with education but obsessed with measuring education. Creative writing was discouraged in favor of "brief constructive responses" which were just repetitive paragraphs. In fact, she found that teaching was limited to ideas, skills and knowledge that can fit inside the confines of a multiple choice test. Teachers were so strictly paced that even classroom posters were given dates to be posted. Kindergarten kids, learning short vowel sounds happened across long vowel sounds and were told to stop. Since reading and math were Maryland's annual exams, science, social studies and art were not taught. Kids didn't even know if Annapolis was a city or a state. Unruly children were given maximum attention while the gifted children were ignored. The principal constantly gave out rewards-candy, ice cream, etc for doing the right thing and kids only wanted to do the work they would win something for kind of like Bloomberg's plan to pay kids for doing well in school.)
While test scores were going up, kids were not being educated. Instead of No Child Left Behind, more children were being left behind.
While Perlstein did not answer all the questions she posed in the beginning, she once again pointed out that education is being ruined by politicians who know nothing about education. It is time for people to stand up and take back our schools. It is time to stop all the testing and go back to teaching.
Perlstein ending up finding that the school was not obsessed with education but obsessed with measuring education. Creative writing was discouraged in favor of "brief constructive responses" which were just repetitive paragraphs. In fact, she found that teaching was limited to ideas, skills and knowledge that can fit inside the confines of a multiple choice test. Teachers were so strictly paced that even classroom posters were given dates to be posted. Kindergarten kids, learning short vowel sounds happened across long vowel sounds and were told to stop. Since reading and math were Maryland's annual exams, science, social studies and art were not taught. Kids didn't even know if Annapolis was a city or a state. Unruly children were given maximum attention while the gifted children were ignored. The principal constantly gave out rewards-candy, ice cream, etc for doing the right thing and kids only wanted to do the work they would win something for kind of like Bloomberg's plan to pay kids for doing well in school.)
While test scores were going up, kids were not being educated. Instead of No Child Left Behind, more children were being left behind.
While Perlstein did not answer all the questions she posed in the beginning, she once again pointed out that education is being ruined by politicians who know nothing about education. It is time for people to stand up and take back our schools. It is time to stop all the testing and go back to teaching.
6 comments:
Hear hear... I hate how we are having to teach to the test. While I have never not taught to the test, I remember being in school and doing fun projects in English, like writing magazines, or spending a whole semester on poetry. Things like this no longer occur in the classrooms as we have to get those tests passed!
The mayor and Klein and pols in general will never understand the findings of this book. And, sadly, the admins only want results, not education.
I often envision NCLB as a bus. It doesn't leave anyone behind, but makes some passengers board before the have finished dressing (they are not prepared for what is being asked of them). Others who don't want to go (and their parents don't care) are strapped, kicking and screaming, to the roof of the bus. Has anyone considered that the route this bus is taking is not the most suitable one for them?
I like your analogy and agree with it 100%.
Doug Noon has a really good post here about standards & standardization and who there real stake-holders are in this game we call public education and accountability.
I was in a school where the principal played this game starting in 1979 and for me teaching was never the same. I used to argue with her that teaching to a narrow test eliminated so much material from the curriculum that was necessary to prepare kids for middle school. Her answer was that they needed the "skills" before science and social studies and they would get all that later on. When the same issue was raised to Joel Klein he basically gave the same answer. Somebody must be writing their scripts.
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