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PA Mom Declares Standardized Tests Worthless, Bars Her Kids from Taking Them
Standardized tests are up there with teeth pulling and liver and onions for most kids
True Story: When I was in tenth grade, science was the bane of my existence (actually, it was the archenemy of my entire academic life). As such, my parents had legitimately grave concerns that I would not pass the Regents exam — a required test in particular subjects for all public schools kids in certain grades in New York — in chemistry at the end of the year.
So I was forced to do something I was loathe to do: study. As much as I prepared, however, if I had been lucky and the stars were aligned just so, I would have passed by a point or two. Maybe. But on the morning of the exam my dad woke me up to the news that the answers to the test had been stolen and were printed on the front page of the New York Post. The exam was canceled, and all students had the choice to take the exam at the end of the summer instead. Or not. After a year of intensive prep, guess what I did? I opted for not. I’m dumb, but not that dumb.
A mom in Pennsylvania declared her kids shouldn’t have to take the mandatory state tests, claiming they’re not accurate measures of accomplishments and create undue anxiety for students. This Pennsylvania mom is my new hero.
Michele Gray pulled her kids out of the two-week long standardized test given by her state as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Law using the only exemption available: religious objections.
But she said it’s not because of anything related to God. “The more I look at standardized tests, the more I realize that we have, as parents, been kind of sold a bill of goods,” she said to CNN
Standardized tests just aren’t an accurate picture of a student’s ability. They’re just not. They are an indicator of how well a student takes a standardized test. And for someone like me who has a fair amount of smarts combined with a penchant for choking under pressure, it was a particular kind of torture to prepare for and undergo the rigorous testing procedures each year. I learned nothing but to hate taking standardized tests.
Testing advocates say such exams are necessary to hold U.S. schools to a higher standard in order to compete with countries like China and India. I call B.S. Pay better teachers more money and give kids a reason to want to learn. Then see how well they do.
I’m not saying I necessarily advocate all parents pulling their kids from standardized tests in a show of protest, but I think the education system needs to come up with a different method of comparing kids in one school or state or country to another. Other than memorizing facts for tests that I could not have repeated five minutes after time was up (except for a few choice SAT words), I can think of nothing I gained from the standardized testing experience other than feelings of extreme self-doubt and worthlessness.
Even President Obama acknowledges the need for change, with his administration recently announcing a $300 million grant to revamp standardized test. “There will be testing,” he said. “We can have accountability without rigidity — accountability that still encourages creativity inside the classroom, and empowers teachers and students and administrators.”
How do you feel about standardized tests?
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32 Comments
[...] Although, increasingly, many parents, including Babble’s own Meredith Carroll, say the tests are not an accurate measure of a student’s ability. [...]
ACT Test: Are Prep Classes Worth Your Money? – Babble (blog) | TrendsNews commented on Jun 11 11 at 11:30 amLisa commented on Mar 21 11 at 7:32 pmWhatever.
Kids aren’t freaked out by these tests. They know there are zero consequences for them.
Kikiriki commented on Mar 21 11 at 8:28 pmKids may not be freaked out by the tests, but teachers and administrators certainly can be and many are freaked out by them, and the result can end up that teachers are expected to “teach to the test” more than they otherwise would, or should. Tests, in and of themselves, can be excellent diagnostic tools and can even help students to learn (especially when they are given periodically throughout the semester), but high-stakes standardized tests are not good diagnostic tools and have either a neutral or negative effect on students, so there doesn’t seem to be any point to them. They are not a substitute for good teaching, which is what we really need more of.
Larissa commented on Mar 21 11 at 10:33 pmI think Lisa is overstating. I was freaked out by these tests, I know other kids who are as well. Even if there are no real consequences, the tests can be stressful and the environment that testing engenders in schools is stressful in and of itself. If my kids were anywhere near as wigged about testing as I was, I’d totally let them skip it.
lorena commented on Mar 21 11 at 10:37 pmIn Louisiana, fourth and eighth grade students are required to pass the mandatory LEAP test in order to continue to the next grade. There are definitely consequences to these tests in some parts of the country. My mother and husband are both teachers in public schools here, and are not only required to teach the test, they also have to site “benchmarks” from the testing material in their lesson plans. The schools receive more or less funding based on testing scores. Obscene amounts of pressure placed on both students AND teachers!
Andrea commented on Mar 21 11 at 11:01 pmI think the bigger deal is how “freaked” teachers are by the tests. It does have real consequences for them, and those hang over every day of their teaching and interacting with students. If they’re spending every minute with my kids with that on their mind, they’re not going to give them the kind of experience, and childhood, that my kids deserve.
In any case, I think that kids can definitely be freaked out by these tests. Even if they really know that they don’t have consequences, it’s still a crazy environment both preparing for and taking the tests, and it’s never easy for anyone to sit down and be confronted by questions to which they don’t know the answers. And they’ll be getting results from the tests, which means they’ll be able to compare themselves to their peers, which is stressful too.
In any case, I applaud this mom, and wonder what I’ll do when my kids are in that position.
Linda, the original one commented on Mar 21 11 at 11:24 pmI’m not a fan of these tests and I don’t think they tell you anything you couldn’t glean from a parent/teacher conference, but my kids have never been “stressed” by them. In fact, they find them easy. I find them a waste of intructional time, however, if I opt my kids out (which I can legally do where I live) they take zeros and it lowers our school’s funding. I’d feel too guilty to do that since my kids are the sort who raise the averages.
Linda, the original one commented on Mar 21 11 at 11:25 pmAlso, I do think that college bound students need to learn to take standardized tests. It’s donwright scary to think that the first standardized test they’d be taking was the SAT or ACT.
Perfect Dad commented on Mar 21 11 at 11:26 pmThe trouble is that if there is no measurement then there will never be progress. At least teachers are teaching to the test. If there is no test then what will the teachers teach and what will the students know? Anyone’s guess.
I work for the top railroad in N America. We report many measurements. Guess what? The managers manage to influence the measure. What does that result in? Profit. When we don’t have the measures then the performance is much more lax.
Perfecting Parenthood
Missy commented on Mar 22 11 at 12:03 amHave you ever looked at one of these tests? The questions are things these kids should know backwards and forwards…they are “dumbed” down to ensure the majority of students pass with no problems. The 3rd grade test is based on 1st and 2nd grade curriculum. It really serves no purpose except for to ensure that we all look like our students are passing.
Meredith Carroll commented on Mar 22 11 at 1:01 am@Linda — I agree about the SATs — I don’t think that’s the first standardized test a kid should take. I just think this mom was right – there can be a lot of pressure on kids about these tests, and to what end? The Regents in NY were in middle and high school and they weren’t for dummies (or maybe I was just a dummy), they were seriously hard and required way too much studying that had nothing to do with anything else. A total waste.
@Andrea — I agree. It’s one thing to learn time and stress management, but the environment of fear around these tests can be overwhelming.
Linda, the original one commented on Mar 22 11 at 1:11 am@PERFECT DAD, perhaps you’ve heard of a little thing called curriculum ???
GP commented on Mar 22 11 at 7:49 am“Then see how well they do.”
And….how do we see that? With a test. I don’t think teacher-parent conferences, as one commenter suggested, can really measure if kids know something or not. I don’t think teachers should “teach to the test,” but like Missy said, the tests are so dumbed down that if they know the stuff, they’ll pass and even do well. I also think that, as unpleasant or lame or whatever they may be, kids have to learn to deal with the standardized testing. Maybe if the pressure came off about THE TEST and they just focused on the learning, then when it came time for THE TEST, they could do a little prep/pep talk a week before, talk about how the test will go down, give some simple strategies and tips for test taking and let it be. I would never do what this woman did.
K Annie commented on Mar 22 11 at 8:12 amHmmm… To vilify standardized test because they require studying and preparation is absurd. to be sure, our current system is flawed, but standards (and testing) are important. And in all your moaning about the regents exam, you never mention if you “learned” anything… You seem to think kids shoudn’t have to take these exams because they are difficult…what message does that send about education? I’m really sick of all the pro-ignorance in educational policy debates. And this PA woman sounds like a helicopter parent nightmare. It’s not healthy to insulate your kids from every little thing that is unpleasant- or, more importantly, anthing that requires effort. If a kid is not a great test taker, there are classifications and modifications available…of course those require taking other tests…
Kikiriki commented on Mar 22 11 at 9:47 amGP, I think that’s one of the problems – administrators get so freaked out about the “high stakes” aspect of the tests that instead of letting teachers teach, they make them focus way too much on the information that is on the test.
Hm commented on Mar 22 11 at 10:08 amI think this mom is a bad parent. What kind of child is she raising if she teaches him that it’s okay to quit if something is stressful? And on top of it, she openly admits to lying and manipulating the system to get out of the testing. The point about college bound kids is spot on.
Our level of education sucks. Our ignorant, overly coddled children and their spoiled parents are an embarassment to the rest of the world. Stress is a part of life. Just because the tests have no consequences for the kids in some parts doesn’t mean they can’t learn from them.
renee commented on Mar 22 11 at 10:30 amIf the tests really were a straightforward assessment of basic skills appropriate for each grade level, I’d have no problem with them. As it happens, they are often vague, culturally biased, and idiotic. There is a website devoted to the problems with the NY State test: http://browniethecow.org/
(I don’t live in NY and have no idea what my state’s tests are like, but my oldest is in 2nd grade and hasn’t been tested yet.)
anonymom commented on Mar 22 11 at 10:44 amI don’t think it’s fair to say that kids are stressed out by these tests. I certainly was. I, like Meredith, was a bright kid who did terribly on standardized tests. I was a straight A kid who scored in the 10th percentile. It was VERY stressful for me. And taking them every other year was overwhelming. By the time I got to high school, I had already figured out that I did terribly on standardized tests. The fact that getting into college depended on it was totally anxiety-inducing. Even now, the thought of taking any kind of timed- scantron test makes my palms sweat. And I just earned my Ph.D for crying out loud! I say hooray for this mom.
Abby commented on Mar 22 11 at 11:13 am@Perfect Dad You are measuring trains the state is attempting to measure teaching and learning in children. It is not the same thing. The truth is we don’t KNOW how to accurately measure that. And there are national standards that Obama is pushing. Teachers cannot just teach what they want. Every state currently has standards.
@Linda, Unfortunatley the only thing the ACT and SAT can accurately predict is the socio-economic status of a student. SAT score has no bearing on how well a student will do in college. This information comes from college board, the people that invented and administer the SAT. Some colleges have stopped requiring them and more are likely to follow suit.Also, why are so many people insisting these tests don’t mean anything? Perhaps in this specific instince they do not, but in most states you are required to pass a certain test or you can’t graduate. I’ve seen some serious tears shed over one too many questions wrong. And even if the test does not keep the kid from passing, the school passes or fails and principals and teachers get fired over these tests. How many of you would want to send your child to a “failing school”? (Even if “failing school” literally means three kids didn’t pass the test one of which showed up in the district speaking no english 48 hours before the test was administered.)
I teach in a public school right now, and the tests have taken over SO MUCH. All the cool stuff I remember doing is gone. I have had an elementary school teacher tell me “We do math in the morning and reading after lunch. Everything else we squeeze in when we can.” Guess what the only two tests that matter to passing or failing schools are? I am praying that either we stop this foolishness or my husband will be tenured and I can homeschool by the time mine is in kindergarten.
michelle commented on Mar 22 11 at 12:33 pmMeredith! I was in 10th grade in NYC at the same time as you and I was totally saved by the cancellation of the chem Regents! So psyched that someone else remembers that happy day. Anyway..I did think there was value in exams like the Regents and APs, because they test mastery of a specific subject, so if you pay attention in class and pass the course you are very likely to easily pass the Regents/AP. But the key here is that my high school didn’t “teach to the test.” The school demanded so much of you that the test was almost an afterthought.
Linda, the original one commented on Mar 22 11 at 12:57 pm@GP, for G-d’s sake, you don’t even *have* a child is school. The children are constantly being evaluated, then you, their parent, see the results of this testing at their parent/teacher conference. I’m talking about regualr skills testing, not standardized tests. I can’t believe that had to be typed out. ::shaking head::
Allison commented on Mar 22 11 at 1:51 pm@Missy, do you have kids, are you a teacher? Are you one of those who excelled at test? Well those of us who had trouble with standardized test and whose kids are taking those “dumbed” down test, should have a huge issue with your comment. I sincerely hope you are not an educator. Your comments are a slap in the face. I am in my 40′s, educated, successful career and the thought of taking the SAT again still makes me sick. If I had not been ranked so high in my graduating class, I would not have been accepted into college. However, have relatives who scored extremely high on the SAT, went to Ivy League Universities and cannot balance their checkbook. Additionally, the teachers and administration are under so much pressure do to these test, the children feel and “hear” the pressure. It is pathetic when an elementary student has constant stomach aches and cries when they don’t make “good enough” grade on benchmarks, much less, the actual test.
GP commented on Mar 22 11 at 2:05 pmTake it easy, L-TOOL. Uhm, I ATTENDED school, have friends with school age kids and know many teachers, so I know how it works, basically-speaking…and my opinion is that conference alone can’t really assess things that state-wide and nationally, educators might want to assess in order to make decisions the way the system is right now. I understand there are things that need to change in the system, sure, but I don’t think standardized test are the huge evil that some seem to think they are. Just because some teachers and administrators are short sighted and foolish and choose to “teach to the test” doesn’t mean the tests themselves are bad or the practice of standardized testing it bad. I certainly wouldn’t make a stink and insist my kid don’t take them, if she feels that way, she should pull her kids out of the system and homeschool them.
rethinkeducation commented on Mar 22 11 at 3:11 pmMeredith I could hug you for posting this!!! There are much better ways to test children than standardized testing. Many home schools and private schools do not use standardized testing yet they outperform public schools daily. Check out Charlotte Mason international. Their way of testing requires children to write essays to show their knowledge of a subject. I attended one of their schools in Fredericksburg TX for my sophomore year of high school. I could not believe how much I learned through their method of instruction. I actually enjoyed testing because I felt no pressure. I was simply asked to “tell back what I had learned.” This lets the teacher see how they’re doing as teachers; it also lets the student be surprised by how much they remember. For instance in biology you would be required to answer a question in essay format, explaining the life cycle of a cell. Then you would be asked to sketch a cell with all of its parts and then label them. It takes a lot more work, but it would be well worth it for our schools to implement CMI’s method of instruction and testing.
GP commented on Mar 22 11 at 3:28 pmI guess, in the interest of full disclosure, I should say I test well.
Meredith Carroll commented on Mar 22 11 at 4:52 pmNot all standardized tests are created equal. Not all school districts are created equal in how they view and prepare for them. I think many people will agree there can be much anguish associated with these tests, which usually have nothing to do with the regular curriculum.
@Michelle — You’re right; if I had been a better student in science the Regents wouldn’t have been such a thorn in my side. Our teachers didn’t teach to the test, but I still felt their presence looming throughout the year, and the pressure was on to not only do well in each subject and all of the associated papers, exams, etc., but also prepare for the Regents.
GP commented on Mar 22 11 at 5:11 pm“Not all standardized tests are created equal. Not all school districts are created equal in how they view and prepare for them. I think many people will agree there can be much anguish associated with these tests, which usually have nothing to do with the regular curriculum.”
well, this certainly seems to sound plausible…I grew up in the Midwest, it sounds like NY, and NYC in particular is all kinds of crazy about these things…
Linda, the original one commented on Mar 22 11 at 5:25 pm@GP, let me try this again. A parent/teacher conference doesn’t assess ANYTHING. It’s where the results of regular in school assessments (which are happening continuously) are communicated to the parents. If your kids attend a decent school, you already know how they are progressing academically far before standardized testing (which normally takes place at the end of the school year). As a matter of fact, we don’t even get out kids standardized test results until the following October, so they are meaningless as an instructional tool. Also, I don’t understand where you’re getting the impression that I’m somehow vehemently anti-standardized test. I think I have a pretty balanced view of them actually. My kids go to the sort of school where the teachers follow their curriculum, evaluate students regularly, then instruct the students to just do their best on the standardized tests. No biggie, really.
Linda, the original one commented on Mar 22 11 at 5:29 pm@Meredith, that’s the thing, the tests OUGHT to be testing the material already being taught as part of the curriculum. Honestly, the curriculum is pretty poor if it isn’t teaching the basic, grade appropriate knowledge these tests are assessing.
Meredith Carroll commented on Mar 22 11 at 5:33 pm@Linda —- I guess I should clarify that I’m not completely anti-standardized tests, but in the current form — and I’m not necessarily talking solely about the content of the test, but also the hype surrounding them that can drive a child mad — I think they have the potential to do more harm than good.
Missy commented on Mar 22 11 at 10:03 pm@Allison, yes I have kids – 2 who take these tests. Yes, I have always done very well on standardized tests. My comment was not meant to be a slap in the face. My comment was to say that the tests serve no purpose in judging the actual progress/knowledge of your kid, my kid, any kid. They ARE made to be passed by the MAJORITY of the students; i.e. the students who are not anxious, the students who just test well etc. They are “dumbed” down or rather like I said, cover material that is grades behind where the children are now. This testing is not about ensuring our children are receiving an excellent education, it is for ensuring that we LOOK like they are. And therefore, should NEVER be a judge of a child intelligence.
Erin commented on Aug 13 11 at 2:32 pmI’m currently in my senior year of high school. We still have to take standardized tests, and the worst are the mandatory End of Course Tests (EOCTs) for my state (Georgia). Certain classes, such as Biology, 9th Grade Literature, and U.S. History, have these tests that you have to pass or you’ll be forced to retake the class. They generally aren’t very difficult, but the most frustrating part is that they count for our final exam grade and the way they’re curved actually hurts the grades of top students. My friend and I are both in the top 10 GPA-wise for our year, and consistently make 99s and 100s in all classes. However, missing just one question (out of fifty to seventy or so) on an EOCT can make you get a 97. Missing around twenty can get you a 93. It’s ridiculous – they curve them so students can pass, but it really hurts those of us who are competing to be valedictorian.
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