Assessment Issues

This week we discussed issues with assessment. There are so many. In essence, I think it is very challenging to make a test 100% fair for every student to take. However, this is only what is legal and right. We have to consider what each child is able to do and what they really need in order to show mastery of that skill. The question in my mind arises about state testing. When we have state testing, or laws like No Child Left Behind, we are subtly encouraging teachers to "teach to the test." This is not always as full or fulfilling education children deserve or can have. If we only teach children to pass a test, what are we really teaching them? How is education unique, and how can we justify that what is on the test are the only essential items students need to know? Is this stifling both student and teacher creativity?

There is a line of thought where students are given choice and independence when selecting a specific unit of study within a larger unit. Student feel interested and ownership of their learning. Learning becomes unique and special. This cannot be achieved when we teach to the test, and when we are given strict curricula and guidelines of how to accomplish this.

This is especially applicable for special education students. What if we had a student like Sarah with CP, or a student like Michael with Aspergers? Would they benefit and get the most out of their education from a clearly defined curricula? Also, with hypothetical students like our learning profile students we have to consider testing accommodations. It is hard, because these accommodations aren't always provided even if they are listed on the IEPs. If it interferes with the skill they are being tested on, then they aren't provided. This makes me think the test should not require any accommodations to begin with, right? Shouldn't we be considering UDL always with our students? This is something that is challenging but that we need to accomplish.

Overall, testing is a tough issue. There are so many things we have to consider. Is it necessary? What things should we be testing? How do we determine that? If we didn't have testing, would some students not be educated at all? Is it really just a regulation tool for teachers? What about accommodations? Shouldn't UDL be used?