Achievement Tests

In my home state of Tennessee, children are formally assessed on achievement tests in third through fifth grade, taking the Tennessee Comprehensive Achievement Test (TCAP).  This test is based on state standards, testing Reading, Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science.  In fifth, eighth, and eleventh grade, students take a writing exam.  (They are given a writing prompt, write, and are scored based on a rubric).  (Tennessee Department of Education, n.d.) Students also take end of the year exams in courses such as English, Biology, and Algebra.   This year, in my district, 15% of the end of year grade will come from the TCAP test at the elementary level. 

Having taught in a tested grade, I know that this test is very stressful for students and teachers.  I do think that teachers should be held accountable for the job they do, but I believe that this stress is kind of a trickle-down effect.  School districts do not want to have poor scores; therefore they put stress on the principals to raise test scores.  Principals then come down on teachers, and teachers come down on students, pushing the test.  Job performance in the past has been evaluated by test scores.  Little time is left for anything but test preparation. 

Now I teach in a non-tested grade.  To evaluate my students we administer the Brigance at the beginning and end of the year.  I have time to teach students life skills like sharing, getting along with others, cooperation, and appreciation for diversity.  We do not have other formal assessments. 

I think that standardized tests have a place.  I do think that students need assessed but I think it would be remarkable if there were tests to measure other parts of development such as emotional growth and cooperation.  If students are to take the ACT and SAT tests, there needs to be tests such as the TCAP to “practice.”  However, I think too much emphasis has been placed on achievement tests.

These tests do not take parent accountability into consideration.  If a child is neglected, abused, or does not have someone at home to help them with school because of limited resources, how can they be expected to make tremendous gains on a test?  I know that a child can do wonders based on a positive teacher, but sometimes all we do cannot make up for deficiencies outside of the school environment. 

I decided to research testing in China.  Chinese students take tests at the end of their junior high years for placement in a good high school.  At the end of the high school years, a test is administered for entrance into a university (Pham, 2010).   “Failure or low scores on the test send many students back to high school for one more year” (Pham, 2010, para.12).  According to Pham, students spend time focusing on test scores, which does not allow time for using imagination and creativity.  I found an interesting comparison and analysis of Chinese and American education systems in an article published by Pearson Education, Incorporated.  In this article, Betty Case (2005) states, “Chinese assessments focus on the whole child, including academic growth, student learning styles, emotional health, values, fine arts and

confidence” (p. 5).  She further states that in the United States, summative assessments are used, but in China, “both formative and summative assessments are used” (Case, 2005, p.6).

When I was in China twelve years ago, I had many junior high and high school aged students.  They were driven to perform well on their tests at their schools because they felt that scoring well helped them get better placements in universities and better job choices.  In researching the testing practices, I think they are right in assessing the whole child.  All of us have strengths and weaknesses, and I do not think that the achievement tests in the United States do a good job at assessing the whole child.

 

Pearson Education, Inc.  (2005).  The age of accountability.  Retrieved April 1, 2012 from http://www.pearsonassessments.com/NR/rdonlyres/9B951F2F-37A6-4508-A656-3EF8FE346B19/0/AgeofAccountability.pdf

Pham, S.  (2010, December).  High test scores, but China education flawed.  Retrieved April 1, 2012 from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/chinas-education-prepares-students-tests/story?id=12348599#.T4DUF9ksFfK

Tennessee Department of Education.  (n.d.)  Office of Assessment Logistics.  Retrieved April 7, 2012 from http://www.tn.gov/education/assessment/index.shtml