6 years ago Commentary, NewsDepartment of Education, Katelyn Ferragamo, Standardized Tests, Tara Correia116
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The Mystery Behind State Testing By Katelyn Ferragamo
Students and parents often believe the vague information provided about these tests, and don’t push to figure out more. But, once a student becomes frustrated with the testing process, it often sparks them to ask more questions and wonder, what is the point of these tests anyway?
State and federally administered tests have been around for some time now, meaning that whether you are a student, a teacher, or a parent, you have come in contact with one. But, have you ever really understood what the purpose of of the tests are? Or understood why they change so frequently when they are supposed to remain in school systems for an extended amount of time?
Students and parents often believe the vague information provided about these tests, and don’t push to figure out more. But, once a student becomes frustrated with the testing process, it often sparks them to ask more questions and wonder, what is the point of these tests anyway?
It turns out that the information required to answer this question is actually very hard to find, raising concerns on the reasons for this difficult process.
When conducting research on specific tests, the information given is all basic, generic answers that don’t really explain much at all about the test itself. A Google search on these topics comes up with nothing, and organizations that control testing, such as the Rhode Island Department of Education and the United States Department of Education have websites that do not put testing data or information in a easily located area.
The U.S. Department of Education claims that “States and districts should ensure that every parent gets understandable information about the assessments their students are taking, by providing information to parents on any tests students are required to take.” Specific information should be easily located by students and families, especially if the Department of Education deems that the test should be understood by all parents and students.
When one does find a document focused on state/federal testing – after going through about 5 redirections – it states that all tests aim to “better the education system” or to “better understand student learning levels” or “aid teachers by bettering the curriculum.”
This does not even begin to explain these tests on the level we truly want to know. What data is collected? And how does the data show the performance of students in a way that can change the education system for the better?
Asked about finding testing data, Tara Correia, a Coventry High School teacher, stated, “I was able to find quite a bit of research as I know where to look and am an experienced researcher.”
While she was able to locate data, those who are not as informed as her would have struggled to find this information, or may not have found it at all.
A lack of information on these tests is not the only issue to be concerned about. These sort of state and federally administered tests seem to have a remarkably short time span in schools.
According to a document on the U.S. Department of Education website, the creators of the PARCC test were given a four year grant for their test, starting in the 2014-2015 school year.
But, after looking at another document from the U.S. Department of Education website, it shows on a detailed chart that many schools no longer use PARCC testing – even though the grant should still extend into the 2018-2019 school year.
The executive director of the Rhode Island Association of Superintendents, Tim Ryan, even went so far as to say that “the PARCC has become toxic.”
Does anybody actually know the reasoning behind all these negative opinions?
No, because people barely knew any information to begin with.
This is not the only test to be taken out of schools so fast. In fact, this is more common than a state/federally administered test staying in the school system for a long period of time.
Tara Correia also stated that in her 15 years of teaching she has seen “under 10 assessments.” That’s almost one test per school year.
So, at the end of the day, do we really know enough about these tests?
No, and this means that we should push for more information and more stability for the tests students take.