By Deborah Gist, State Education Commissioner
As Commissioner of Education, I frequently talk with Rhode Islanders about what’s going on in our schools and about the state of education here and in the country as a whole. One topic that often emerges in conversation is testing, and this issue is often surrounded with frustration and confusion.
Many Rhode Islanders understand the importance of high-quality assessments, including standardized tests. Yet some students, teachers, parents, and others have apprehension. They are concerned that standardized testing has limited how we teach and what we teach in our classrooms. Others worry that standardized assessments have narrowed the scope of education and limited our students’ opportunities for critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving.
I visit classrooms and schools regularly and pay close attention when schools are increasing student achievement, especially when these schools are ensuring that students of color or those from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods are achieving at higher levels. I have never seen a case where these improvements are the result of “teaching to the test” or narrowing curriculum. Quite the contrary: Every high-performing school I have ever visited has been a vibrant, rich educational environment where learning is fun and well-rounded and where students and teachers are joyful and engaged in meaningful, relevant activities.
Assessments are one tool that assists us in determining whether students or groups of students are attaining the knowledge and skills they need at their grade level and which students need assistance. Teachers and school leaders use the results of standardized assessments to target instruction to the needs of individual students and to design and revise instructional plans and curriculum throughout the school year. Standardized assessments, however, do not provide a complete picture of what a student knows and can do or of the contribution the school or the teacher makes to the student’s learning.
Too often, standardized tests become a convenient stand-in for the ills of our education system. People frequently blame assessments for less-than-inspired teaching. Unfortunately, some schools do have too many tests, and these tests can disrupt classroom instruction. It is our responsibility to work with our local educators to ensure a proper balance of high-quality and useful assessments and to prepare our teachers and principals to use the information from assessments to help students learn.
Standardized tests are neither good nor bad, in and of themselves. They are a tool to provide us with information. It is our responsibility as educators and family members to appropriately use these tools and the information they provide in order to ensure that our children are making progress, that our educators are effective, and that our schools are accelerating toward greatness.
When all of us work together – students, teachers, school leaders, parents, leaders of business and labor, and the community at large – we can transform education in Rhode Island and prepare our students for success in college, careers, and life.
Do you have an opinion you'd like to share in "Your Voice, Your Turn"? Email kim@630WPRO.com
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