April 2008 — News

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Accountability, Yes. Teaching to the Test, No.

by Patricia Deubel, Ph.D.

When properly done, these ensure that what is taught aligns to state standards. This is a good thing to not just cover topics, but to see how well and to what degree those deemed important appear appropriately in each grade level or subject strand. You can't teach all of the standards; I agree there are too many. A good curriculum committee will know which standards have been tested at each grade level. They will incorporate those among others of highest priority within essential questions for their mapping efforts. This is putting the nuts and bolts in place. It's not setting up the idea of teaching to the test, rather identifying standards that are achievable within a reasonable time period. Plus, it is not limiting what is taught to what is tested, which is an unethical practice anyway. With this comes greater emphasis on principles of universal design for learning and using a variety of curricular materials beyond the textbook, so that students don't become confused when they see problems on standardized tests not expressed exactly as they've seen them in their textbook. Overcoming that confusion is one of the teacher concerns for teaching to the test.

Unfortunately, some of the curriculum maps I've seen are still works in progress, as are their implementations. Short-term maps might lack performance tasks among assessments, for example, which link content to real-world activities and provide the contextual and investigative aspects important for learning. This then affects how a subject is taught and learned.

The accountability movement has led teachers to rethink their methodologies for teaching, pulling some out of their comfort zone. For example, NCTM standards include processes such as reasoning, problem solving, using multiple representations, communication, and making connections, which are embedded in math questions on standardized tests. A teacher-centered behaviorist approach to instruction with its popular lecture method limits development of those skills. Those who use differentiated instructional practices, now at the forefront of education, are more learner-centered, and have philosophical perspectives leaning toward constructivism and perhaps connectivism. There's more obvious attention to responsiveness to intervention and progress monitoring strategies, such as interim diagnostic testing and formative assessments. The accountability movement, in turn, has forced students to take greater responsibility for their learning--they are assessment-users. Some parents have become more involved with helping their children to learn.

Current System Flawed
All is not rosy with the current system either, as critics point out. We hear that by focusing on THE TEST, we are denying our young people valuable experiences they need in the 21st century. The NCLB standardized test frenzy should not limit our ability to provide those, but apparently it has. We hear of districts narrowing the curriculum to better focus on subjects tested.