Stop Focusing on Test Scores

Civil Beat shared an article recently: Data Shows a Dramatic Difference in Test Scores Between Hawaii Schools.  

Stop already! These headlines and articles about declining test scores, both locally and nationally, are not helping schools; in fact, they may be adding to the challenges and stressors our public schools are already facing with declining enrollment, disengaged students, exhausted teachers, and political discord. The problem is not the students or the teachers. The truth is that the old model of K-12 schools is no longer applicable or relevant for today’s students. In our rapidly-changing 21st century world, it is more important than ever for schools to prepare students for their futures instead of preparing students for high-stakes testing. 

Of course our kids need to learn to read, write, and learn history, science, and the arts. Of course they need to have math knowledge. But the way they learn essential skills and knowledge does not have to be through one-size-fits all (boring) textbooks and workbooks, with end-of-unit tests that often measure short-term recall rather than long-term application. It doesn’t mean students need to be in classrooms with grade level peers following grade level standards. Our classrooms should be exciting places of learning with students working in diverse groups to grapple with problems that impact us now and in the future. In the process, students read and research, discuss, listen, summarize, learn by doing, and make sense of what they learned. They ask questions which often leads to more questions and even deeper learning. Students come up with possible solutions and agree on how they will share what they learned with an authentic audience. When students work with others, they learn the value of teamwork and listening to other points of view. They learn to recognize and embrace their own strengths, interests, and challenges as well as those of their peers. The teacher is an active learner in that classroom as well, guiding students in their learning, asking probing questions, and providing specialized instruction and feedback when necessary. 

Realizing that the old model of school was not meeting the needs of today’s learners, schools across the nation and in our world have transitioned to make education more relevant for their students. Project-based or problem-based learning, language-immersion schools, international schools, learning academies, and work apprenticeships are a few examples of how education is evolving. In those settings, students are engaged, learning about and working on problems that impact them now and in the future: food sustainability, trash, homelessness, immigration challenges, climate change, transportation, cultural issues . . . the list is endless. With teacher guidance, students are delving deeper into the kinds of problems that adults and government leaders are grappling with. It is real-world, important work. There may not be a common test for students at the end, but there is accountability; students document their learning journey through reflective journals, videos, tools like Unrulr, or individual conferences with their teachers. Check out the What School Could Be on-line community; the movement to reimagine education is thriving throughout the world. And when students are engaged in these real-world projects, they truly become empathetic problem-seekers and problem-solvers. 

Imagine a world where students learn to work with others and to advocate for their ideas with their team members from the time they enter kindergarten and throughout their educational experience. They become better listeners, are able to communicate their thoughts and feelings, and learn to compromise. As students work with those who may come from different backgrounds or who have different experiences, they will hopefully develop empathy, the ability to see things from another person’s perspectives and to feel their emotions. I firmly believe that empathy is lacking in many adults today, and that is what has led to a deep divide in our communities and across the nation. 

And it starts with school. As long as we continue to focus on test scores and dividing students based on their academic ability, we will have failed a significant number of those who may not fit the model of a “good student” but who have important skills and ideas that will be valued in their adult life. We can and must do better. 

So let’s stop focusing on test scores and reimagine school instead.