2 posts from May 2008

In Honor of State Testing Week...

"Testing Matters." Courtesy of Stephan and Abigail Thernstrom's No Excuses.


Yeah, it's a pain, and yes, some students don't take it seriously, and yes, some students may get "test anxiety." But tests are a good first line of defense that highlights, in general, what students do and do not know. It is growing increasingly bothersome to read quotes from teachers like "we're teaching kids how to fill in bubbles, not think critically." I forgot what online article I read that one on, but if any teacher anywhere spends more than 20 seconds showing kids how to "bubble in bubbles," that teacher is an idiot. Such comments contribute nothing to the debate involving testing. 

The Thernstrom's cite a similar comment  from 

Gretchen Hoff, a Cambridge activist" who "wrote the New York Times in December 1999. 'Rather than teaching students to take tests, we should be teaching them to think'....Ms. Hoff presents a false dichotomy, we've argued above; students need to learn basic math skills and how to think mathematically. There is a seamless web between the two, and a really good test assesses both. If students are truly being taught 'to think,' they should be able to demonstrate the quality of their thinking in a test situation" (Thernstrom 39).

I emphatically agree, and I don't understand the dogma, the "false dichotomy" that states critical thinking and standardized tests are fundamentally at odds with one another. If the test sucks, make a new test. If they don't, then the tests are showing us something, and "denying the validity of the message, is far easier than figuring out how to deal with the problem that the test scores have identified" (Thernstrom 25).

Teach what is supposed to be taught, test what is supposed to be taught. Every teacher that I've ever met gives tests. If tests are that bad, quit giving them. Many teachers I know give scantron tests, and scantron tests require the dreaded filling in of bubbles. If they're that bad, quit giving them. Every teacher gives assessments. If the state and NAEP assessments are off base, then those need to be modified. I've heard very few voices claim that the tests don't assess the standards. I hear much more of how tests kill education, murder critical thinking, and ultimately tear public education apart. I see negligible, if any, empirical evidence to support such claims. Most of what I get is anecdotal lamentings from teachers. And there I go, giving anecdotes to attack anecdotes.

Testing is over. Sigh. 

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Education goes emo.

I know I'm supposed to teach students how to "think critically," without bogging them down in the minutiae of factual recall and drudgery of drill and practice. Why is it, then, that the spokespieces for our venerable organizations are always tugging on the heartstrings? I guess that's a rhetorical question, because admittedly I assume that people are more apt to respond to steamy waves of emotion  than the impersonal chill of uncomfortable facts. Let's face it. Facts are buzzkill. A rally killer. A timely fact is a hair in the mouth as you're going in for a long-awaited passionate kiss. An ill-fated screech on the turntable. 


So how do I respond to this letter from my local union encouraging me to weigh in on California's current "educational crisis? Emotion? Robotic stoicism? Or do I embrace the unquantifiable screamings of a union's bleeding heart? In order to assist the fully uninformed like myself, the union leaders were gracious enough to include a nifty yellow printout, complete with instructions and talking points for engaging the local politicians. You know, for those of us who haven't brought ourselves abreast of the particulars, but KNOW that these cuts are wrong, and want to participate in spite of our ignorance. Anyway, here's the email:

Should we be concerned about the $14.5 Budget Cuts to Education?  YES
Our students didn't create this problem, and their futures shouldn't be shortchanged because of it.  The Governor's budget proposes to balance the state budget through cuts alone.  The final budget agreement must include increased revenues as part of any approach to balancing the budget.

Isn't Prop 98 the problem with our state's budget crisis because it forces the state to spend more money on education?  NO
In fact, the rate of spending on Prop 98 education funding has grown much slower than spending of the state's general fund, or on most other programs.  Voters passed Prop 98 as a minimum funding gaurantee for schools.  Our Governor should not undermine the will of the voters.  He needs to make our students' education a priority.

These are just two of several questions in which the public should be informed of.  We need to come together again and join our fellow educators across California to educate the public and tell the Governor that we will not stand to be "cut across the board".  We want and need the funding to provide "above the board" education.

Join the out cry of educators.  Join the campaign on May 14th and represent (us) to say "Protect Our Students" and "Save Our Schools".  Save the date to travel to the (deleted) Rally.  More information about signs and driving together will follow soon.


I don't claim to be an expert, but before I join "the out cry" (isn't that one word?), I need responses to a few questions/comments.

First, inherent in this entire message is the assumption that more money is essential to student success. I have not seen this assumption proved. It may make sense on the surface, but "making sense on the surface" is not evidence. I have seen more evidence to show that money does NOT relate to student achievement in a causal manner. If someone is claiming that money is necessary for student achievement, then the burden of proof is on that someone to produce evidence in favor of their claim. Producing phone numbers and talking points for me to mindlessly complain to my legislature doesn't appear to be evidence in support of a claim. In fact, it's a little more like assuming the truth of what is trying to be proven. Begging the question.

Second: Nowhere in this message is it mentioned that education appropriations make up nearly half of our state budget. I think this is reasonable to mention, especially when we're talking about balancing a budget. Across-the-board cuts are going to have a disparate monetary impact on those areas that make up a larger percentage of the budget. Leaving this sort of uncomfortable fact out smacks of indoctrination, and it is offensive to me. Perhaps education dollars should not be cut at a similar rate, regardless of how big of a piece of the pie it is. But SHOW us how big of a piece of the pie it is, and let us decide if it is indeed worth preserving. If the argument for preserving funding the way unions and others want it to be preserved is sound, then there should be NOTHING to fear from accurately portraying the situation to those they are seeking support from. 

Show me how money is the magic bullet, and then show me how to balance a budget without touching almost 1/2 of that budget. I know higher taxes are part of the supposed solution, and in that case, I think it's fair to highlight what some of the possible socioeconomic effects of these higher taxes might be. I think these are reasonable requests. No "out cry" until I get a little common logic. Until then, I'll be getting in touch with my feelings.  Me, my feelings, a telephone, and some talking points. 

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