Frustration grows about rise in student testing
Michele Keller tallied the tests to be taken at her high school in October and found the number jaw- dropping: more than 2,800 individual exams.
“There’s no instruction time,” said the testing coordinator at Poinciana High School in Osceola County. “I feel like we should just shut down and become a testing center.”
Keller’s comments coincided with a flurry of statements, reports and resolutions in the past few days arguing that many public-school students in Florida and across the country take too many tests.
October’s testing at Poinciana included make-up exams for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, district “benchmark tests” in five subjects, and the PSAT, a practice version of the SAT college admission exam.
Each was taken by several hundred students, with plenty of teenagers taking more than one, and plenty of teachers frustrated their students were
Florida is among those moving to Common Core exams, retiring most of the FCAT in 2015 and replacing it with the new Florida Standards Assessment.
missing class as a result.
“It’s out of control,” Keller said. “We, as a school, haven’t implemented this. to the Testing Overload in its testing calendar and It ’s coming down on us American Schools report urged the state to take the from above.” released last week. same hard look at its test
The Council of Great It found that students ing requirements. City schools, which repretake an average of one to Melissa Lazarin, an anasents urban school distwo standardized tests a lyst at the center and the tricts, including Orange month, or from 10 to 20 a study’s author, acknowlCounty’s and several othyear. The report was based edged the who’s-to-blameers in Florida, plans a “naon data from 14 school disfor-so-many-tests question tional town hall” on testing tricts, including two in can be complicated. today in Milwaukee. The Florida. In Florida and other group wants to add more The report by the Censtates, for example, state “rationality, coherence and ter for American Progress requirements that test data purpose” to public-school concluded the tests don’t be used in teacher evalutesting. chew up as much classations has led to many new
Opponents of highroom time as some fear. district- devised tests. stakes testing want to see But it said so much testing Some states, such as New such exams scrapped altoleads to a “test preparation York, have since worked gether, at least if they are culture” that “puts a prewith their districts to help used for key decisions such mium on testing over rein in those exams — as student promotion or learning.” something she said needs teacher evaluations. Many It also found that school to happen across the country.tookto social media last districts are responsible week for an anti-testing for more of the tests than Urban school districts campaign. states, often requiring lots and state education chiefs
The result was hundreds of interim assessments to pledged to do that last of comments like this one measure student progress. week, saying they would from Palm Beach Opt Out: But recently some have wo r k to streamline or “Find it difficult for chilcut back. eliminate tests that are of dren to believe they can be The Lake County school “low quality, redundant or whatever they want when district earlier this month inappropriately used.” But one test can ruin them.” canceled some of its tests those groups also reiterat
Even President Barack because, it said, schools ed support for new standObama weighed in to supwere “drowning in a sea of ardized exams aligned to port a “cutback on unnecstate -required assessCommon Core academic essary testing and test ments” and need to carve standards that advocates preparation” and “the out more time for “teachsay will be better than cursmarter use of tests that ing and learning.” rent state tests. measure real student The Miami-Dade Florida is among those learning.” County school district anmoving to Common Core
That students take a lot nounced this week that it exams, retiring most of the of tests is clear, according had trimmed 24 tests from FCAT in 2015 and replac- ing it with the new Florida Standards Assessment.
Teachers unions want to see more far-reaching action. The Florida Education Association passed a resolution Saturday pushing for a “less intrusive” testing system and a moratorium on making important decisions with the test data, among other actions.
Keller, the Poinciana educator, said the worst fallout from all the October testing at her school may have been when students took the PSAT.
Florida pays for 10th-graders to take the exam, convinced it helps schools identify teens who can take Advanced Placement courses as 11th- and 12th-graders and helps students begin preparing for college.
But many students, already weary after taking other tests, seemed uninterested in tackling the PSAT, too, Keller said, even as a dean offered a “pep talk” and ex pl a i n e d it would benefit them.
“What is the testing accomplishing in regards to the academic standards of our students?” she said.