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Pressures of State Testing
Discussion Post
As educators, it is important for us to help prepare our students for success. Johnson et al.
(2016) discussed how some educators feel the need to “teach to the test” for their students to
succeed. After talking to a veteran Math teacher about how she plans out what to teach and how
it prepares students to take the SOL’s, I found that her methods are simple and easy to follow.
This Math teacher uses the data from her districts MAP testing and does not waste time
on pretesting her students for their prior skills. She does not do whole group instruction often;
she likes to teach her concepts in small groups. To practice the math skills, she has students work
in rotating centers. The centers consist of games that they play in pairs or small groups. By
working together, if there is any confusion the students can help each other to figure out the
concepts. The two other rotations are with her and her co-teacher. One works on a reinforcing
skill, and one works on the new skill in small groups to focus on needs. When the rotations are
finished, the students work on independent work. This is an exit ticket, it is not a graded
assignment. It is only for her to check which students are grasping the concept being taught.
She uses the exit ticket to form her groups the next day.
When she is teaching her small groups, she uses activities that look similar to the format
of the SOL test they will take. She teaches test taking strategies that help students eliminate
choices and how to really look at the choices given. She teaches students which words to look for
to tell them how to solve the problem. I think by explicitly teaching her students strategies and
exposing them to the format it will help them when they take a state test. It may also reduce
some students’ test anxiety, since they know what to expect. I feel that what she does for her
students is best for them and may just help raise test scores.
References
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Johnson, A., Tipps, S., & Kennedy, L. M. (2016). Guiding children’s learning of mathematics.
Cengage Learning.
Reply #1 – Carolyn Shaw
Carolyn, I completely agree with you on state testing. We as educators are expected to
differentiate all instruction for each child but then we test them in a solitary way. I believe that
we should get rid of all standardized testing. Each student should have a student portfolio, it
should be maintained throughout their entire school career. The students’ growth should be
judged by their improvement over time, not from a stress-inducing activity. In recent research
from Durkin et al. they followed a group of students from pre-k to sixth grade. The results of the
study showed students that attended a play-based preschool had more long-term positive
learning. Whereas students that attend academic-based preschools (typically based in public
schools) saw negative impacts by third grade and those impacts grew through the sixth grade
(2022). These impacts were due to the stress that comes with academic assessments and
pressures. When I read studies like this, I question why I chose to go into education. I am
thankful my new school district is emphasizing play-based enriched learning. Now if we can just
get Kindergarten and beyond to rid their standardized tests.
References
Durkin, K., Lipsey, M. W., Farran, D. C., & Wiesen, S. E. (2022). Effects of a statewide pre-
kindergarten program on children’s achievement and behavior through sixth grade.
Developmental Psychology, 58(3), 470–484. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001301
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Reply #2 – Dorothy Windsor
Dorothy, thank you for your thoughts and sharing your friend’s way of making standardized tests
more tolerable for all. Her idea to have them suck on mints between to help stimulate their
thinking was a good one. My daughters had a teacher that used mints or let them chew gum
while they took their tests. My kids loved it and it helped them so much that my children chew
gum all the time when working on tasks. I think it’s great to get students up and moving in
between tests. In most cases we have students sitting and testing for an hour or more. Many
students and adults have an attention span of 30 minutes. This can be very exhausting for
students’ brains. Movement breaks are a great way to wake up the brain again. Unfortunately,
standardized tests are not going anywhere anytime soon, but educators can make it more
bearable as we have learned from your friend.
References
In Text Citations
Scripture
These dispositions are aligned with the fruit of the spirit referenced in Galatians 5: 22-23,
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (New International Version,
1984). "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (New International
Version, 1984, Philippians 4:6-7). “Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted
knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The
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Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true” (New
International Version, 1984, Ecclesiastes 12:9-10).
These laws were meant to specifically exclude students based on their disability and deny
those students educational opportunities. Isaiah 42:16 says,
I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will
guide them, I will make darkness into light before them. And rugged places into
plains. These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone. (New
American Standard Bible)
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DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
TOPIC
How are the teachers in your area responding to the pressures of state testing programs? Do you think
that what they are doing is in the best interest of students? Is what they are doing the best thing to do
in order to raise scores?
No pretests, very little whole group, lots of hands on small group practice
REQUIREMENTS
During Modules 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7, you will participate in Discussions by posting a thread in
response to the instructor's prompt and replying to at least 2 of your classmates' threads. Threads
must be 300 words, and replies must be at least 150 words. You should include at least 1 citation
in your initial post and one citation in at least 1 reply. Remember to include a reference list in
current APA style. See the Discussion Grading Rubric for information on how to receive full
credit for this assignment.
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