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Too Many Tests
"I alone spent about fifteen school days last year taking system-administered tests thanks to state and federal laws."
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By Matt Westmoreland
Standardized testing has grown exponentially the past decade. Schools are now spending more time than ever preparing students for and administering state and federal tests. Youth Radio's Matt Westmoreland shares why he thinks the phrase "Take out a number two pencil" is heard too often in American public schools.
125. That's how many days the Atlanta Pubic School System is administering standardized tests this school year, according to the system’s testing calendar. That means sixty-nine percent of the days school is in session some segment of the student population is out of class being tested. Here’s a quick list: The Georgia Basic Skills test, End of Course Tests, Georgia Graduation Tests, Georgia Writing Test, The Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Stanford 9 and the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, are all on the schedule, not to mention the Georgia Kindergarten Assessment.
When are we going to realize this is insane? If the system spends sixty-nine percent of their year testing, that means they’re only spending thirty-one percent of the time running the school system. I alone spent about fifteen school days last year taking system-administered tests thanks to state and federal laws. It seems the mission of my school system is to simply conduct tests – not to teach.
We need a moratorium on standardized tests in America. And then we need a great discussion to figure out how best to educate our children. I’d like to see school systems measure student progress in a manner other than a multiple-choice booklet and a number two pencil.
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