Today was a huge day in Summer Institute. We had three demos that fostered deep discussions about our classrooms and ourselves as teachers. My demo was first...so I finally got to explore with the group my inquiry into standardized testing. The first activity I did really revealed what these tests do to students' motivation. As soon as I began to read the test-mandated directions ("We are now going to take the benchmark for English II..."), I saw a huge shift in the participants...my peers and colleagues. They felt the immediate "shut down" that I witness every semester with my students. But the most surprising part of that moment was that I also shifted. I immediately shut down into "test administrator" mode and was no longer the fun-loving peppy teacher that I usually am. I had no expression on my face and was unwelcoming to questions from the "students" (participants).
Through our discussion we learned that the tests themselves are inauthentic experiences for students...and we all know that anything "fake" does not go over well with kids. I shared with the group that my best readers (those students who avidly read on their own free time - and even on MY time when they were supposed to be doing work) were the students who performed the best on the EOC this past June. But then Steve mentioned that his absolute best reader in his class one year BOMBED the reading test. This seemed counterintuitive (to me as I listened to this anecdote), but Steve learned (by asking the student) that the student simply rushed through the test in order to continue reading her book. This proves that these tests are not "authentic" reading experiences. Even an avid reader understands and that this "passage" was not meant to be enjoyed or even understood. (The student may have just not cared about her grade or may not have understood that this possibly affects her grade...but, that is out of our control as teachers).
Steve's anecdote also shows that NO MATTER WHAT WE DO AS TEACHERS....students are going to do whatever they want on these tests. They will either try their absolute best, and pass or fail. Or guess all the answers, and pass or fail. They might sleep for part of it and then try their best after they wake up. But somehow these tests are a reflection of the teacher. This is backwards.
I am embarking on a new journey with my upcoming students starting in August. I want to foster a community of deep thinkers, readers, and writers. And we'll deal with the test when it gets here.
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