Testing, Testing...

1, 2, 3...

This June my daughter participated in the standardized testing process, a requirement made by the state where we reside. The pressures surrounding the test are confusing to me.

As a homeschooling family, I feel more pressure to perform well than if we were participating in the public school system, where I already felt enormous pressure to be "top of the class".  I am trying not to put that kind of pressure onto my kids.

These tests and how the schools teach to the test are among some of the main reasons we have chosen to homeschool. I no longer believe the tests are worthy of finding the brightest or most well rounded kids. More and more, I believe it is an archaic system of the Industrial Age that no longer works for the Information Age. But, just because I don't believe in the methods anymore, doesn't mean other people aren't still holding onto the old ideas. So, we must partake in the standardized tests. And, to prove to the "nay-sayers" of our lifestyle, I feel we must perform well. It's odd to want to do well at something I think is invalid. So, I wouldn't be surprised if my kids are getting mixed messages.

We try to downplay any pressure surrounding the test. But the word "test" inherently brings our family stress. Through thoughtful discussions, we talk about how we feel about these tests and how best to approach them. We could spend time doing practice tests and studying the art of test taking. Or, we could just do our best, knowing the tests won't cover everything we studied and will cover things we haven't studied, therefore, our scores may be lower than those who attend public schools. In addition, taking note that some questions are written ambiguously with more than one answer, putting the student into a debate of, "Do I answer what I think is right," or "What the test writer is looking for?" We have found several of these kinds of questions on sample tests, where, depending on how you interpret the question, there are two good answers. Usually one answer is more straight forward and one is more thoughtful (in my opinion) and the correct one is usually the more straight forward answer (in my opinion). Another reason I think standardized tests are wonky and I try to make this point of view clear to my children. I hope these discussions allow my kids to come to the conclusion that however they perform on these tests is NOT a good indicator of how they will succeed in life. I hope my kids forgive me that, while I currently believe this to be true, I am still deschooling myself and it's taking longer than I imagined.

After all the hubbub, my daughter did just fine. She's happy to take the next three years off until her next state required test. Now onto next year when my son will be required to participate and we'll do it all over again.

Standardized Testing

But what about the standardized tests?

The question of standardized testing has come up a lot.

I have recently read a lot about the beginning of standardized testing. Professor J. Kelly invented the multiple-choice test, less than a hundred years ago in response to a national crises during World War I (a flooding of students needing to be sorted quickly). Kelly indicated his test to be a measure of "lower order thinking" among the masses (the lower orders). He had no intent for standardized testing to become so widespread. After World War I ended, Kelly, as president of the University of Idaho, pushed for educational reform saying that the test was only good for testing a tiny portion of what is actually taught. As a result, he was asked to step down, aka, he was fired.

While searching Wikipedia, I found this on the multiple-choice page:

"If students are instructed on the way in which the item format works and myths surrounding the tests are corrected, they will perform better on the test."
Beckert, L., Wilkinson, T. J., & Sainsbury, R. (2003). A needs-based study and examination skills course improves students' performance Medical Education 37 (5), 424–428. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2923.2003.01499.x

What it means to me is that if you study how to take the test, you will get a better score. But that doesn't mean you are educated in anything other than how to take a test. In this model, students definitely have not learned how to be excited about education or figured out how to be life-long learners.

So, when a friend recently asked me, "Aren't you worried about the tests?" I answered, "No!" I went on to explain that part of why we chose to homeschool is that we no longer believe in the public school system's methods of teaching. And part of leaving that paradigm behind, is also leaving behind our belief in the standardized test.  If I truly believe that standardized testing doesn't measure how intelligent an individual is, then why should I worry about it? The world is changing. The communication age is here and there are arguments that the tests may soon no longer be needed.

Of course, I still do worry. In the state of OR, your children have to pass (individual results need to be higher than the 15%-tile) a Standardized test at the 3rd, 5th, 8th and 10th grade levels. I've seen the tests, this shouldn't be too hard. However, the threat is still there. If I don't teach my children enough of what the test maker puts on the exam, they may fail. It won't mean they aren't smart, aren't intelligent, or haven't learned anything. It would only mean they didn't learn what the test makers wanted them to learn.

Something else I worry about is how it will make my kids feel. They are aware of the tests and what they need to achieve. I still remember the pressure of tests and that I am a very bad test taker. I often panic, forget things I knew yesterday, or get enticed by the many choices in a multiple-choice exam. My grades were always As and Bs. All my school life, I was told I was smart by my teachers. They put me in the gifted program. Yet, my standardized test scores didn't always reflect this. As a child, this was very upsetting to me. I didn't feel smart at all. I don't want this confusion for my children.

I do worry about the standardized tests and what it could do to their self esteem. Therefore, instead of teaching to the test, we are instilling self esteem and teaching them to love learning. In the end, a love for learning, confidence in knowing how to find answers, and the urge to find those answers creatively will be better than a high percentile score on an exam that tests "the lower orders".