Chris Frost - High-Stakes Assessments - M6U1A3

High-stakes testing in schools often leads to heated conversations between educators, parents, elected officials, etc.  In my circles, most don't like them, but begrudgingly accept them as the status quo.  Scholarly research is divided on the subject, yet most of what jumps out at you online is against them.  In a seemingly unbiased publication (Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing, 2013), the Columbia University Office of Work/Life provided their opinions of the pros and cons of standardized testing.  One pro mentioned is that standardized or high-stakes testing gives teachers guidance on what to teach and when.  Because I like structure, I tend to like this aspect.  How we teach the standards is up to us, but the standards that students will be tested on are known.  We may not know exactly what the test will look like, but we have a pretty good idea of what will be on it.  Another pro mentioned is that high-stakes tests are objective in nature, meaning that they are normally graded electronically or by those who do not know the students.  If rules are followed, this removes any subjective component and makes the results very difficult to tamper with.  Columbia University also lists as a pro the ability to compare schools locally, statewide, and nationally.  Parents and students are able to engage in comparisons because of the highly automated nature of high-stakes assessments.  One of the major cons noted in the publication is the stress on students, teachers, districts, and parents.  This stress can lead to high anxiety resulting in good teachers leaving the profession, health problems, disagreements at home, and a decline in student engagement at school.  Also mentioned as a con is that high-stakes assessments only measure individual performance at the time of the test, and don't take into account Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).  A student may have grown considerably over the course of the year, but test results may show a weak performance. Also, text anxiety causes some hard-working and bright students to underperform.  A high-stakes assessment does not reflect that these students possess character traits that will lead to success in their future endeavors.

For purposes of this assignment, I interviewed the principal of Benson Primary School in Benson, Arizona.  As a parent of children attending the school, as well as a 3rd grade teacher there, I have always found her to be a very honest and reasonable person whose opinion I value. She explained that teacher evaluations do include a test score page, but the test scores of the entire school are averaged, rather than showing individual teachers or grade levels.  She jokingly said that bonuses and rewards for high test scores are only given to the principal but, in all seriousness, there are no rewards and bonuses tied to test scores 😀.  She assured me that she has never considered or implemented the moving of teachers from one grade to another based on test scores.  Also, it is not policy to release a teacher due to test scores alone.  When assessment performance in a grade varies from teacher to teacher, there is much to be taken into consideration.  She explains that, while an initial attempt is made to structure each of the grade-level classes equally based on academics and behavior, classes get skewed a bit due to legal and personality conflicts, parent requests, etc.  Also, some teachers are better able to handle behavior issues, so they may end up with more of one type of student group vs. another.  As a result, her opinion is that test result averages may be a bit misleading, and scores on high-stakes assessments alone are not a good indicator of teacher effectiveness.  She believes in multiple measures of assessment. 

I also interviewed the superintendent of the Benson Unified School District who came to us from nearby Vail School District.  Economically speaking, Vail is in much better shape than Benson.  Situated just east of Tucson, many Vail residents work in Tucson.  Benson is farther east of Tucson and job opportunities aren't as plentiful or easily accessible.  I learned from our superintendent that high-stakes assessments are treated similarly in the Vail School District.  It is the general consensus at the district level that test scores alone do not define a student, teacher, or school.  Like Benson, bonuses and rewards are not tied to test scores at Vail.  One contrast is that, because teachers are more plentiful in Vail due to nearby Tucson, more thought might be given to finding a better grade-level fit for a teacher who consistently struggles with testing.  Assessment performance would never be the only factor that drives a change, but it might carry more weight in Vail vs. Benson.  I was also very surprised to learn that much of what Benson Unified School District does is modeled after the Vail School District. Benson has worked closely with Vail in recent years to implement a lot of the same procedures, schedules, summative assessments, test prep processes, etc.  Perhaps this is one reason why Benson Unified School District has been so successful, despite being more economically depressed. Much like Vail School District, Benson Unified School District values its teachers for more than just scores on high-stakes assessments.  

Since the 2013-14 school year, Arizona's "Move on When Reading" law requires that students who score in the "Falls Far Below" category on the ELA portion of the AzMerit achievement test will be retained at the end of their 3rd grade year.  Exceptions can and will be made for ELLs with two years or less of English instruction, students with disabilities whose IEPs include that promotion is based on what appears in the IEP, and students in the special education referral process or who are being evaluated for reading impairments (Move on When Reading, 2017). This past school year, my IEP students, and also a 504 student with ADHD, took the AzMerit outside of my classroom with special education professionals who helped them based on what appears in their IEPs/504.  My school's principal told me that, since the 2013-14 school year, not one student has been retained.  Those who have scored "Falls Far Below" were covered by one of the exceptions mentioned above. Based on the lack of motivation I witnessed by some students this year during testing, I was in disbelief upon hearing that. I recall one student filling in random bubbles without reading a single passage.  It truly makes me wonder how much weight this test should carry.  

As a teacher, I administered my first AzMerit achievement test at the end of March, which was earlier than many other Arizona schools.  Our early testing date required that we, as teachers, teach four quarters worth of standards in three.  This was extremely stressful for teachers and students, as we often felt rushed.  Frequently, I felt as if some students would benefit from more time spent on a concept, yet I had to move on because of time constraints.  Ironically, I felt like I was leaving children behind.  Test prep occurs almost every day all year.  In the teaching of required standards, I am prepping for the quarterly benchmark exams and, later, the state-mandated exam.  None are available for teachers to see until assessments are taken, but some teachers have been around long enough to remember what will appear.  The AzMerit test really throws students a curve when they are asked to pick two answers for a question rather than one.  This is not something students have been exposed to on any other assessments so, if students aren't prepared, this might confuse them and cause unnecessary stress.  Practice booklets are provided to teachers that contain practice tests.  Starting 2 to 3 weeks prior to the AzMerit, teachers print copies of the practice tests and review them with students.  This helps them become familiar with the verbiage and nuances they will encounter.  During this 2 to 3 week review, standards are still being taught as per the curriculum calendar.  It requires a great deal of time and thought to make this period of time engaging for students, but it is not impossible.  In a 2014 article, education journalist Katrina Schwartz suggests making the standards fit into student interests.  This could be applied year-round, as well as during test prep.  Practice assessment questions could be rewritten, or made accessible online, so they are more engaging to students.

As a veteran substitute teacher, and now a full-time teacher, I frequently hear teachers fretting about high-stakes assessments.  While I set the bar high for almost everything I do, I realize that there is only so much I can control. I will work my hardest to teach the required standards in an engaging way and prepare my students for the high-stakes assessments they will face.  At the same time, I want my students to enjoy school and love learning.  As a result, any stress I may feel about such assessments will not be made known to students.  On test day, I just want them to do their best.  That is all anyone can ask.

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References:

Move on When Reading. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.azed.gov/mowr/family-and-community/

Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing. (2013). Retrieved from http://worklife.columbia.edu/files_worklife/public/Pros_and_Cons_of_Standardized_Testing_1.pdf

Schwartz, Katrina. (2014, March 12). Retrieved from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/03/12/how-to-teach-the-standards-without-becoming-standardized/