Jason Stanford, an investigative journalist in Texas, writes that he took the fourth grade ELA test, composed of sample questions from the Smarter Balanced Assessment. He decided to do this after learning that a sixth grader challenged legislators to take the test.
A 6th grader in East Texas recently challenged state lawmakers to do what she and every other public-school kid have to do during testing season: “Sit in a room for up to four hours, without talking, writing, drawing, reading, or using your cell phone.” Because millions of children are taking Common Core standardized tests this time of year, I did her one better. I took a 4th-grade English Language Arts practice test. The good news is I passed.
The bad news is that the test is basically worthless, highlighting the folly of using standardized tests to measure a child’s ability to read and write. And to the Texas 6th grader’s point, in no way whatsoever was I able to quietly sit still for that long. Of course, it didn’t take me four hours to complete the sample test. I don’t want to brag, but I’m very advanced for a 4th grader.
There were questions that he found confusing. There were questions that made him want to strangle whoever wrote them. There was no real literature. There were questions with no right answers or possibly two right answers. The big problem, he concludes, is the assumption that standardized tests can assess what children understand or know or can do.
The writing portion of the test was ludicrous. Students were given a business card-shaped rectangle in which to record their analysis. You could replace this entire test with a book report and come out ahead. Actually, you could probably buy every child in America first editions and come out ahead. The price tag on SBAC tests in California alone is $1 billion.
We’re so focused on measuring children that we’ve stopped developing them. These tests don’t measure what we want our children to learn and are a waste of money. That Texas 6th grader has a point. I can’t sit quietly. This test is failing our children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I think the sixth grader is right to challenge legislators to take those tests. Maybe if they had to do as they expect children to do, they would learn really quickly that those tests are crap. As a child, I hated the ITED tests (better known as the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills). Although they generally lasted only a day or two, they still expected the same thing that “Common core” tests expected. 8 hours of quiet, attentiveness, and so on…but only do what such tests do: prove how well children can take tests.
It is time for government to realize that you have to TEACH first, then test, in real-life application, those skills learned, not through a meaningless test.
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It’d be such a great thing if lawmakers did this. In fact, if I were a Common Core supporter I would challenge federal and state lawmakers to take the test.
The high-profile “celebrity” Common Core supporters could have kicked off “the testing season” (formerly known as ‘spring’) by taking the tests.
I’m in a PARCC state” (formerly known as Ohio) and the first thing I did was look at the sample test when deciding if my son would take it or not. I don’t feel as if I have to take it because 1. I had nothing to do with Ohio’s adoption of it, and 2. I’m not promoting the testing, but if I were promoting it I would absolutely take the test.
It would be a lot of fun to find out how many prestigious and powerful mid-career adults scolding the youngsters are not, IN FACT, College and Career Ready 🙂
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“Defies Measuement” from Peter Greene at Curmudgucation:
Well worth watching and sharing
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I watched and wished more people would take the time to view it. Arne Duncan and his fellow zealots should watch it. Since the only thing Obama and company have offered education is test and punishment, why don’t they push the pause button on charters and try their own assessment of what is going on in charter schools today? Citizens need to hold these neoliberals accountable for their poor judgment and demand they stop creating legislation that gives priority to charter expansion that promotes segregation without getting better results. They have no problem trying to nail teachers to the wall, but they just toss cash at too many charters without regard for the welfare of students. Where is their accountability?
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Again, Arne Duncan DOES NOT CARE!!! He doesn’t even know what he’s talking about (refer back to the post that explains his accidental turn into a Chicago alley, & his response to parents who followed him there). There is NO such thing as “accountability” for those who are making all the money off us, the taxpayers, & abusing our children in the process.
Let’s all not simply “watch & wish”–continue the great pushback that’s started (Opt out article–abrasive to pro-PARCC–landed on the FRONT page–very TOP–of The Chicago Tribune today.)
Again, another example of what I’d responded to the post “saddest PARCC story”–no, THIS one is pretty sad.
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When are legislators and those in power going to wake up and realize that Pearson is robbing us blind! What a waste of resources! They cannot replace real reading, writing and thinking with flawed fragments of tasks masquerading as assessment. Portfolios are a cheaper more authentic way to develop these skills.
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Not until the public demands it. And the public won’ t demand it until they understand the big picture. I just finished watching “Defies Measurement” (link provided above). It does a masterful job of explaining the whole sordid story in a way that everyone can understand, I applaud everyone involved in its creation, and especially Dr. Ravitch for being the driving force behind the fight against corporate takeover of public education.
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Yes indeed, those TEST do indeed STINK. They just suck up resources and divert funds to the hedge funds of the TESTING companies.
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I don’t know who in ed reform is in charge of marketing this test, but students staring at screens is probably NOT as appealing to the general public as it is to the “accountability hawks”
It is scary how often they use that image in ed reform. I’m not clear why they seem to believe parents are impressed or wowed by that. It’s like they think we’ll say “computer testing! WOW! That’s probably GREAT!”
They know the vast majority of people, no matter their job, use computers/monitors of some kind at work or in workplace training, right and have for years? It doesn’t mean “fabulous” all by itself 🙂
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Chiara, Let’s hope that your advocacy and that of others gets more people questioning. Another aspect: Just because CCore tests are on computer doesn’t make them worthwhile.
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Oh, and can they depict the “monitors” of social media who respond to the Level 1 Alerts for PARCC tests, in their ads?
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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What did he expect from a test that obviously was designed to fail children, teachers and schools to create data that would be used to justify replacing transparent, non-profit, democratic public education with for-profit, opaque, corporate Charters controlled by billionaire oligarchs who think poorly of everyone who does not belong to their class and have no respect for democracy?
These tests have nothing to do with improving education.
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Exactly.
Furthermore, the standards themselves were not designed by a qualified individuals (Coleman, himself stated), nor do they prepare students for anything more than a 2 yr college (Zimba) OH! and not for STEM. (also Zimba). They are developmentally inappropriate and now the gifted and talented orgs are worrying about the best and brightest being turned off/cut off, not given what they need to succeed.
So what does it really matter that there are screwed up tests….
NONE if it has anything to do with real education —data- data- data — and mind you they got paid to take it — and they will sell it over and over again… money money money — it is all about the money.
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The fact that there is no real literature in the test is yet more confirmation that literature is only for the elite.
As to when legislators will wake up, I think that is giving them too credit. Some, at lest, have already been bought and paid for the the corporate reform community, and they’re answering to their masters.
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I took a practice End of Course exam for English II (Sophomores) that is found online. The print quality was very poor and font sizes changed mid-passage. Seventeen out of 65 questions didn’t count because the standards had been dropped. I had the same experience as Mr. Stanford that many questions had more than one right answer or no right answers. Some questions were worded confusingly. http://www.tn.gov/education/assessment/eoc/tst_eoc_eng2_pt_form1.pdf
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These tests are worthless and such a waste of money. Think how we could truly help our kids. It all makes me sick.
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Sad, don’t be Sad AND sick–watch for Pear$on protests–& identifying the REAL enemy–coming to a town, city, suburb, state near you…and SOON!
YES, WE did…yes WE can & yes…yes WE WILL!!!!
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I liked this sentence from the post: “We’re so focused on measuring children that we’ve stopped developing them.”
This is exactly how I feel about my child in middle school in North Carolina. The focus on the test means little real teaching is going on. He told me a few weeks ago that his math class has already finished the curriculum for the year. They are already reviewing for the end of grade test. In March!
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My take on the common core tests (from taking the pretest) is that some kids will be baffled by the crappy computer interface. Those who make it through that gate will be seeing some poorly designed questions. The forth grade teacher I work with is apprehensive how the mostly English language learners will react to being horribly overmatched by the test. I researched the opt out law (California is one of three states that has codified the process) and shared it with him. The way I read, it a teacher who informs a parent of the option can be in trouble; only the district super can do it. And it has to be a districtwide letter. We’ll see how this pays out…
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And what if the computer crashes mid test?
Of course, last year in NYS there were several pages missing from some of the third grade assessments which had administrators scrambling. So even paper copies can be problematic.
Ellen #EitherWayItsInvalid
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