Assessment and Grading Practices: Standardized Testing
As state testing transpires across the country, educators share their concerns with traditional standardized testing methods.
- “Legit question: does the math classroom experience more pressure to maintain traditional assessment than other subjects?” —High School STEM Teacher
- “I think so. There is a lot of material, and the need to assess at scale.” —Math Teacher in Virginia
- “It’s testing season, which is a good time to remind y’all that math isn’t about the standardized test. A lot of it is about an acquisition of knowledge to make models, develop patterns, and concretize estimations … as humans do naturally. Don’t mistake that for achievement.” —Math Educator in New York
- “Let’s not be mad at kids when they don’t get the math the way we want them to. The math that’s already within us sometimes takes a minute to get unearthed. Learning isn’t linear. But by the time we get to non-linear functions, it’s often too late to get that lesson.” —Math Educator in New York
- “What do you say to someone who doesn’t believe in tests to measure learning?” —Middle School History Teacher in New York
- “Ask them how they assess if not with a test. I avoid tests in my English class, but I assess their writing and reading all the time. I do give grammar tests, because that is the quickest way to assess their mastery there.” —High School English Teacher in California
- “Depends on the subject area. I don’t use tests in the traditional sense in my English classroom. I assess my students regularly in other formats, though.” —Middle School English Teacher in Tennessee
- “I would ask, ‘How are you defining test?’ If he views tests to be standardized measures and/or of the traditional school sort, he is correct in asserting that there are many and oftentimes far better ways to determine an individual’s depth of understanding and level of ability.” —Educator in Texas
- “So then what bite-size data are they using, how does it align to the standards, and what makes that data collection formative in their classroom on a daily basis?” —Educator in New Jersey
- “I think that’s a bit of a straw man, don’t you think? ‘Tests’ are the broadest possible category of assessment I can imagine. You can test an idea, a model, a theory in any number of ways.” —High School Social Studies Teacher in Iowa
- “We can either differentiate our teaching or we can give standardized testing. You cannot have it both ways. (Spoiler alert: standardized testing is not appropriate).” —Educator
- “It’s the most favorite time of year for teachers: high stakes testing.” —Educator in West Virginia
- “This past week, I was invited to another school to talk about assessment philosophy and practices: a consulting opportunity! It was invigorating to talk with other educators. After a turn-and-talk warm-up, I started by sharing my own beliefs and questions about assessment.”—High School English Teacher in Pennsylvania
- ‘Grades do not motivate students to learn. Grades should reflect learning, not compliance. Do final grades represent ‘progress toward’ or ‘proficiency of’ standards? Averaging grades does not demonstrate student progress or proficiency. Once a grade is in the gradebook to be averaged with other grades that task becomes a summative assessment. Student reflection needs to be a consistent assessment practice. When instructing and assessing on standards, whose standards are we using? Deciding reporting practices must be grounded in a philosophy of assessment.’” —High School English Teacher in Pennsylvania
- “In observation of test prep season: I give a targeted MC question and ask students to explain to a partner which two *wrong* answers to eliminate, then explain why. Good reasoning practice!” —English Teacher in Missouri
- “My takeaway📝 from today’s #GISDchat is that there are so many different ways to use technology to incorporate formative assessment at every level! It seems like this technology will help teachers tailor instruction to meet student needs.” —Elementary Teacher, N/A