Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Kassi Paulsen, 6, listens to a reading of "Follow Me!" by librarian Leanne Heald during the summer reading program Thursday at the Tumwater Timberland Library.

Schools face tests

Standardized exams don't score well for some parents

ALMA D. SHARPE, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published August 5, 2001

A month before the 2001-02 school year will start in South Sound, President Bush's proposal to administer standardized tests to schoolchildren in most grades is facing stiff opposition from a broad coalition here.

Throughout the state, the president's plan calling for students to be tested as a way to hold public schools accountable is being met with a backlash of strong skepticism from educators who argue the measure would prove burdensome and repetitive in Washington.

Parents, too, question why more testing should be substituted for more teaching.

Refusing the test

Numerous protests already have been registered from parents who refused to submit their children to the state's Washington Assessment of Student Learning test this spring.

About 1 percent of the 230,000 students who received the test last year refused to take it, according to state officials. A Black Hills High School student opted for time in the school library instead of taking the test.

A spokeswoman for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson said this week that the state's education leader would be opposed to requiring another test of the state's students.

"She's not a big fan of the national proposal because there is a lot of testing going on already," said Jocelyn McCabe. "She'd rather see the focus (on testing) remain at the state level."

Students throughout the state now take the following tests:

-Achievement Levels tests, administered annually from third through eighth grades in most South Sound schools. Some districts test students on math and reading; others on language arts and math.

-Iowa Tests of Basic Skills for third- and sixth-graders, and the Iowa Tests of Education Development for ninth-graders. These tests, required in Washington, are given in many states and allow for national comparisons.

-Washington Assessment of Student Learning for fourth-, seventh- and 10th-graders. While students have been taking it for two years, passing this test in ninth grade will become a graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2008.

Critics worry that schools are "test-heavy" and that teachers spend too much time tailoring their curricula to what students are going to be asked on the test.

In the Options Program at Lincoln Elementary in Olympia, most parents already exercise their option to keep their children from taking the ITBS test.

Gretchen Steiger, the parent of a third-grader there last year, said she looked at the test and found that students were tested more on facts, rather than ability to think critically or learn.

"I don't think (facts) are the most important thing," said Steiger. "At Lincoln, we have other ways to look at the progress of students. We have portfolios, and I think those are better."

But the current tests are supported by many as well.

The tests now administered to students do help provide important, and different, information about their performance, said Carolyn Lint, assistant superintendent for instructional services in the North Thurston Public Schools.

"I feel that our assessment system is quite comprehensive and gives us the information we need to compare our students at the national, state and local levels, and to look at individual student growth," Lint said. "I don't feel we need additional testing."

Still, the tests now given, while important, eat away at the time a teacher has for actual lessons, Lint said.

"I would be reluctant to give more instructional time to external assessment," she said.

Debra Carnes, communications director for the Washington Education Association, said Washington students would benefit more from additional resources, such as additional teachers to lower class size, than from another test.

Some say the president's plan does not come with enough funding to pay for the administration and evaluation of the test, as well as additional teacher time.

"It adds one more burden and we don't need that," Carnes said. "We're already working hard on testing in this state and raising the standards."

Carnes said the teachers' union disagrees with the idea that student test scores from one state should be compared to another's.

"How do we know what Connecticut standards have been, where they've come from and how much they've improved?" she said. "We should focus on our own students."

Supporters argue that a national testing system would allow for comparisons across states, and perhaps offer a tool to encourage better performance in traditionally low-scoring states.

"These assessments are nothing more than a check to ensure students are receiving the foundation they need," said Lisa Graham Keegan, CEO of the education reform-minded Education Leaders Council.

"It's worth three hours of their time to take a test to make sure everyone is up to standards," she said.

Alma D. Sharpe covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-4226. Gannett News Service contributed to this report.

'Pockets of excellence'

Parents and guardians are bombarded with bad news about public schools:

-After a decade of reform, fourth-grade reading scores are stagnant.

-Many eighth-graders cannot hold their own against those from other developed countries in math and science.

-Nearly one in three college freshmen must take remedial courses.

But there have been bright spots, too. A recent report on the nation's urban schools, for instance, found that 92 percent of big-city school districts improved math scores in more than half the grades tested.

"We're seeing pockets of excellence, and we're seeing a growing number of these pockets," said Christopher Cross, president of the Council for Basic Education, an education-reform group based in Washington, D.C.

But, by no means do all public schools guarantee excellent schooling for all kids, experts say. That's why it is so important that parents become involved, ask questions and arm themselves with information.

"If you're going in for a medical procedure, you don't do that casually. And you shouldn't casually send your kids to school," Cross said. "It's setting the stage for them for life. Parents cannot turn their kids over to the school and drive away."

A special back-to-school report examines key areas of concern -- reading skills, math and science skills, test taking and teaching -- and aims to help parents navigate the system.

What to ask

Parents should ask tough questions about standardized testing, and not just assume that more testing just means more accountability, education experts say.

John Merrow, author of "Choosing Excellence: 'Good Enough' Schools Are Not Good Enough," says parents should be able to inspect tests, which should be written in understandable language.

He recommends asking:

- How many machine-scored, multiple-choice tests will students take? Who requires these tests? Are there high-stakes consequences linked to these tests? What are they?

- How much time is spent practicing test-taking?

- How long does it take for teachers to get results, and how are they used? How significant are these tests in students' final grades? Are scores improving?

Also, consider these tips from the U.S. Department of Education:

- Talk to your child's teacher often to monitor progress. Find out about at-home activities that will help improve performance.

- Don't get anxious about the test scores.

- Ask the teacher whether results are consistent with your child's classroom performance.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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