Last May, my then-second-grader took his first STAR test. And then this autumn he took the OLSAT. He's also taken some other assessment tests here and there, and one recent exam prompted the teacher to say she didn't believe the results because so many of her otherwise high-achieving students seemed to have scored low. She then mentioned that the computer teacher who gave the tests provided heavy incentive to finish quickly. Rushing through an exam does nobody favors.
I remember the whole standardized test ritual fondly. Sure, we parents moan about how it isn't really an accurate assessment of our kids, and wonder how schools can be given funding based on a number. We worry about cultural differences and how sometimes a very intelligent student might get an answer incorrect because he or she recognizes nuances in the question that the very people who created the exam may not have. Most of all, we worry about "teaching to the test;" the fact that an education based on multiple choice has little to do with the real world.
But I thought it was fun.
As a student, I equated standardized tests with an opportunity to have little cardboard "offices" put around our desks. I appreciated that (literal) boxed-in feeling. It was comfortable, and I knew nobody could cheat off my paper. I especially enjoyed it when the results came back and my parents beamed. Smart kid!
Well, I realized as I grew up that I wasn't quite as smart as those test might imply. In terms of "life skills" I had a lot to learn.
Nonetheless, it was with pride that I saw today that my third grader is a smart kid. Sure, we knew that. But every parent believes their child is the Absolute Top. And funny how in some ways, saying "yeah, my kid tested high" is almost as much an "admission" than mentioning other sorts of "labels" or revelations that a kid had speech therapy or has some sort of weakness (as all kids do.)
Meanwhile, the state of education in California remains in flux. In an ideal situation, all kids could learn according to the modality that works the best for their strengths. All kids would be encouraged according to their interests. Those who need an extra push in some areas could be given that training. Those who need enrichment can be provided that extra stimulation. And those "twice exceptional" (with learning differences, yet high intelligence in other areas) could be seen for what they are, rather than "above average plus below average equals average" such that they end up bored in some areas and overly-challenged in others.
I don't have an answer to the budget crisis. I have no idea how to accommodate for all the different learning styles, strengths, weaknesses, and interests of individual kids. And I certainly don't know how to value "life skills" in the midst of the whole stew.
But with a maturing third-grader who seems pretty sharp (both on paper and in practice) and a charismatic kindergartner who has his own strengths and weaknesses, I can't help but worry a bit. Like every parent, I hope my kids will learn, grow and be "nurtured" (but also challenged) in the most appropriate way.
It is a tough equation.
Comments (2)
STAR tests have frustrated me for years. i hated how my over-achievers would become so stressed top perform after practicing for the big event. one year, seeing how stressed my girl was, i told my 1st born that this test was not the be all and end all of her aptitude and intelligence which she interpreted to mean she could make pretty, pretty patterns on her scantron.
sigh!
i don't have a solution either but clearly what we have now is not working. wish, hope and pray the folks in Sacto realize that for our amazing children's sake. After all, in my best beauty queen voice, our children are our state's future.
Posted by Laura Scarborough | February 8, 2010 10:56 PM
Posted on February 8, 2010 22:56
We're in the throes of major crisis in my school district. The elementary school my youngest goes to and the middle school my two older ones attend are BOTH on the chopping block. We're one of those low wealth districts, so California's economic crisis in the state whacks us considerably more. Factor in a large subggroup population of ESL students, and you've got our current recipe for disaster.
I have a twice-exceptional daughter and two high-achieving sons. Soon enough, the only ones watching out for their needs will be me and my husband.
Posted by patois | February 15, 2010 7:24 AM
Posted on February 15, 2010 07:24