Saturday, April 25, 2015

The High Stakes of Testing

Last week, teachers in Georgia were sentenced to jail time for a cheating scandal that broke in 2009.  These teachers were convicted of erasing/changing incorrect student answers on standardized tests. The standardized tests were linked to monetary bonuses, and therefore they were charged with conspiracy and racketeering.
Being in the same profession, also subjected to standardized testing and the same No Child Left Behind Act (which is, thankfully, no longer education policy) this has been a story I've been following.  I am appalled by their sentencing - anywhere from 1 to 7 years in prison, depending on their level of involvement.  In our recent history, we've had ball players physically abuse their spouses ON VIDEO, a famous comedian accused of assault by more than multiple women, mothers who have killed their children, and cops who have shot unarmed citizens and none of them were given jail time.  Interestingly enough, around the same time these teachers were conspiring to cheat on standardized testing, much of the financial world was also engaged in cheating and lying and stealing and pretty much single-handedly bringing on the world's economic crisis.  Not one of those in charge at the time went to jail.
Putting it all into perspective, it would seem that a more just punishment would be firing, loss of credential, and returning the money "earned" due to test scores.  But these cheating teachers earned years in prison.  The judge who sentenced them said, "It's like the sickest thing that's ever happened in this town."  Oh, please.  This happened in Atlanta, Georgia.  Cheating teachers are at the bottom of the list of "Sick Things".  They are being made an example of.
I was hoping this verdict/sentencing would bring about the debate over standardized testing.  While there has been some, most has been the regular vitriol about teachers, which so offends me.  Mind you, these teachers also offend me, but their actions stem from a much bigger problem...standardized testing.
NCLB made success at a low income and/or high ELL population schools VERY difficult with its "requirement" of 100% proficiency for all students by 2014.  Each year, since its start in 2002, schools were required to make substantial growth from year to year with 100% after 10 years.  It is certainly not a bad thing to want 100% of our students to be proficient at their grade level, and every teacher should have high expectations of their students.  The reality, however, is that kids are not standardized.  They develop at different rates and they learn at different rates.  Kids also come to school with different needs.  Those who have their basic needs fulfilled at home are often far more successful on standardized tests than those who don't.  Those who live in impoverished neighborhoods or come from families who do not speak the language of our school system (often these two go hand-in-hand) more than likely have a much different set of needs when they are at school.  Some are looking for routine, some are looking for a hot meal, some are looking for someone to love and care about them - all things that must take place before any learning can.  Having spent my entire teaching career at schools that are 80+% low income and ELL, I'm quite familiar with standardized testing and the impoverished student.  I love where I teach and have super high expectations for my students, but every year I have no less than 5 who struggle so much academically or behaviorally or mentally or all of the above (last year I had 5 who DIDN'T struggle with something that affected their academics).   In all schools, there is more to teaching and assessing learning than a standardized test, but at schools like mine, standardized testing actually inhibits learning.  And then to use them as the basis of assessing teacher performance is a little bit like being a Mercedes car dealership and blaming and penalizing the salesman for not being able to sell a car to a homeless man, who just came in to use the bathroom.  I'm all for holding teachers accountable and getting people who don't care or are ineffective out of the classrooms.  Standardized testing isn't the way to do that though.  It causes more harm than good.
There is a tremendous pressure put on districts to do well on these assessments, who then put that pressure on their administrators, who then put it on their educators.  That has been no exception in my school district - each school has a yearly visit, right after school started, from the superintendent who "reminds" us on the importance of test scores and then congratulates or humiliates the staff depending on the previous year's scores.  Over the first decade of the 2000s teaching changed.  We began teaching TO the test.  Actual learning was not quite as important as the bottom line.  My point being is schools changed, for the worse, after NCLB and it would seem these GA teachers let that get the best of them.  It's no excuse for their behavior, but even so, they don't deserve to go to prison.

12 comments:

  1. While I believe what they did was terrible, I agree that things are really out of kilter in this country when it comes to sentencing "criminals". And... when you manage to get those who really should be in prison sentenced, they manage to get out far too soon. It's definitely an imperfect system and I'm not sure it can/will be corrected any time soon.

    What does ELL stand for? I assume it's English Language something (literacy?)

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    1. I suspect that, if their appeal isn't successful, they won't spend the entire sentence inside, no one ever does. But still, it is the point.
      ELL stands for English Language Learner. I don't think this particular school district has a large ELL pop but it is a low income area. Students, in CA at least, are categorized by their level of English. When students enroll in school, the parent fills out a language form. If the primary home language is something other than English, students are classified as ELL. From there, their level of language is "assessed" by ANOTHER state test which identifies them as anywhere from beginner to advanced. Most of my students are at the beginning intermediate and intermediate level which means they are able to speak it well enough, but vocabulary is limited, comprehension is limited due to that vocabulary, and usage is awkward. While I have one newcomer who came to me in November only speaking Spanish, the rest were born here, but since they have no English models at home, school is the only place they use it. The unfortunate thing is they make huge gains in a year, but because they come in lacking this proficiency to begin with they are not as successful on the standardized tests as the English Only (EO) counterparts . A growth model of testing would make much more sense, for all kids really. It would be a far better indicator of their year's learning and my effectiveness as a teacher. As soon as any student enters the new grade level without proficiency in the previous grade level, they are already behind the eight ball when it comes to the testing.

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    2. You know what? Even with English as my first language, I still can find the way questions are worded on standardized tests confusing. I remember looking at practice tests when my kids were taking their ACTs, GREs, etc. and thinking geez, they're trying to make this really difficult!

      My mother taught school waaay back in the dark ages (seems like the only test they used was ITBS) and I remember her saying they really didn't reflect what a child knew. Still...I guess they have to have some way to measure what kids are learning.

      I guess there is something to be said for learning at one's own pace (I still have a set of McGuffy readers!) like they use to do in one-room schoolhouses. Then again, lots (most?) kids need more motivation than that. Homeschooling: a whole different topic! (and one I have mixed feelings about, yet can totally inflame my teacher friends by bringing up!)

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    3. There have been a couple of articles this month about the validity of tests and the need for these tests to be good, but they are not. It costs money to write/test really good questions that aren't biased and assess correctly, but no one is willing to pay the money to make sure the tests are top notch. I have found, in my experience, that the tests mostly test what the kids don't know, not what they do know. If anyone were to ask me (and of course no one is :), standardized testing is not the way to assess teacher effectiveness - test data is an important part of schooling and I use it regularly to design my instruction to meet my students' needs. It's the test they are choosing to use that is the problem. But even a "good" test is only part of the evaluation. Evaluations done IN THE CLASSROOM have to be part of it as well. A lot more of my job can be assessed if someone were to come and check what happens in the room than can ever be tested.
      As for home schooling, ya, I'm not a fan. I definitely understand some of the reasons why parents choose to do it. And shoot, imagine what can be taught when working one-on-one at a child's level. The miracles I could work if I was only responsible for 1 or 2 students and their achievement. On the other hand, the social aspect of school is piece that is missing out of most home school programs. And I don't just mean playing with other kids, that can happen anywhere. But dealing with responsibility, deadlines, listening to/following directions, in addition to interacting with all types of people - not just who a parent decides to interact with. I've had a handful of students who have entered my classroom after having been homeschooled for a year or two and they are way behind their peers in the ability to navigate social situations. And that's life. But public school teachers tend to lean against home schooling...I'm no exception. :)

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  2. I think it is ludicrous to criminalize these people. And it comes from that place that sees teachers as some sort of 'Other'. It epitomizes the schizophrenic attitude to teachers in almost every country in the west.
    Yes, they were idiots. But I truly doubt any financial gain is anything more that the tool used to get them and the real truth is they were trying to do a good for the kids.

    On your point about what you deal with. I don't know, I truly don't know. How can anyone in the State dept of education look at your people and those from wealthy areas as equal. Or to put it another way. To get ESL students like you deal with to a level that they can see the others would demand serious investment. And investment not just with the kids but perhaps more importantly for the parents.
    In many ways the core problem is ghettoisation and the fact that schools are not now in the places needed to current requirements.

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    1. That is the epitome of the problem in education. We have so much more of a need for great teachers in areas like this, but it is hard. I have work colleagues who work at schools on the other side of town who have classes full of kids who already know what they are supposed to learn for the year and parent support is abundant. That's not saying the helicopter parent isn't just as difficult as the neglectful parent, but when we look at standardized testing it's definitely comparing apples and oranges. While my colleagues receive Tiffany bracelets and Nordstrom gift cards as teacher gifts from their families, I get phone calls about a student not doing his/her homework because a parent went to jail the night before. Just this recent return from break, a student of mine came to class with a wrapped up arm and in a sling. He hurt it wrestling with his brother on Easter. Which was what, 3 weeks ago? On Friday I received a note from the school nurse that the student had finally gotten in to see a doctor and his arm was broken and he would be in cast for the next 6 weeks. Whether that was the parents lack of understanding or lack of resources, or the health services they used or what have you, that never would have happened across town. It's just different and to not acknowledge it is doing these kids a disservice.
      It stems from a much broader issue which is the affect that living in low income communities has on a child actually getting out and "making it". There are some who just have it intrinsically in them, but most are regular little kids who, unless someone is pushing them from behind, it's not happening. If a parent is working 2-3 jobs, in jail, deported, whatever, the concern over education and success isn't a top priority, surviving is. We have this mentality here (and probably in all countries who practice capitalism) that it's a personality defect when someone is poor - they're lazy, or stupid, or criminal. And sometimes it's true. But mostly, in what I see in the community where I work, they work hard but regardless they can't get out of the cycle. We also have the kids whose families are here illegally which poses its own set of problems. Whatever the belief on this, if we don't educate the kids and help them be productive members of the society, they will continue to be a burden on our society. That is the disconnect that we seem to have with those in power who make the decisions. And those decisions seem to feed that ghettoization you mention. In my opinion, like so many other ills, education is the key to making any kind of change to that, but it is the least respected and so poorly funded.

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    2. The issue today, and for the last 15 or so years is that there's a fear abroad amongst those who can drive such things of their own kids. Where once people would actively see education as a good, and perhaps even today will pay lip to it. Nonetheless in their heart they have drawn up the drawbridge. You'll see civil servants who gained in the 60's and 70's from vast investment in marginal schools form policy designed to reduce the capacity to replicate those results. Ask your union for stats . The per student investment.

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    3. And isn't that a shame. That mentality has never made much sense to me, it really pisses me off!

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  3. oh i agree.. there are such heinous things happening in the country.. the perpetrators getting off with little more than a slap on the wrist and cheating teachers go to jail.. our justice system is more than a little messed up.

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    1. Exactly! I tell you, if we ran the world it would be a lot different, wouldn't it?!?! ;)

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  4. This is infuriating. They need to be accountable...but prison time....only if they get to go to Martha Stewart's prison and repayment.

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    1. I think Martha Stewart prison is nicer than a lot of us are used to. :) White collar prison is laughable.

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