"Elias how do you think you did on the test today?" I ask at dinner.
He looks down at his ham. "Good."
Elias participated in Alaska's Standards Based Assessments (SBA's) for his first time today, a test given annually to 3rd through 9th graders to measure their progress in reading, writing, and math.
Not only are schools judged by these test results, but our legislature would like teachers to be judged by them as well. So forget about the rest of the year and all that is accomplished. It is how kids perform during these three days that matters most.
It has come down to the filling-in of bubbles.
Forget imagination and wonder. Forget cooperation and character. Forget critical thinking and public speaking. Forget project development and active learning.
Forget the real world.
Sharpen your number two pencils and answer multiple choice questions.
Elias, despite his multiple diagnosis, that include cerebral palsy, autism, and visual impairment, takes the same test as his peers. He has many accommodations, but the content is the same.
The same test that students recently removed from their homes will take. Students who lay awake in a strange bed wondering when they will see their parents again. And whose teachers will be judged by their scores. It is no wonder that certain schools do better on these tests than others, despite exceptional teachers working in Title One schools.
And yet how can a standardized test determine what a teacher has taught a child?
One of my favorite teachers, Mr. Potter, yodelled on his way up the stairs to art class and arrived with his white hair all frazzled. I still remember how to draw the ribbons he taught us in Design Perspective, but mostly, I just remember the way he embraced life like a lover he never wanted to lose.
This type of learning can't be measured.
Elias loves school this year. When we hold hands around the dinner table at night he almost always says, "I'm glad I got to go to school today."
Despite wearing a diaper in third grade, Elias is rarely teased by his classmates. Instead they look out for him and tolerate his quirks.
He feels completely comfortable in room 19 and that tells me he has an exceptional teacher.
Ignoring the fork next to his plate, Elias picks up a butter noodle and puts it in his mouth. He wipes his hand on his sleeve.
"Elias, did you know any of the answers to the questions?" Nick asks.
"No," Elias says, without regret. "I just guessed."
Life is all about...just guessing. The beauty of Elias is that, as you say, he guesses WITHOUT REGRET. Let's all learn little bit from him....
Posted by: danielle in zurich | 04/03/2013 at 12:19 AM
Couldn't agree more about the limited assessment of standardized tests, and thanks for the great memories of Potter... one of the best teachers ever. :-)
Posted by: Sara Sutton Fell | 04/03/2013 at 07:38 AM
I remember my first class with Potter (Design Perspective, has to be the same guy). You learned to see the world anew from that guy.
Luckily, most kids will survive their "education" just fine.
Posted by: Hawes | 04/03/2013 at 02:28 PM
Elias, you made my day!!!
Posted by: Cathy | 04/03/2013 at 05:02 PM
Before my kids were born I taught first grade for 5 years. I couldn't stand the focus on testing, and I was actually lucky because I did not have to worry about it much in first grade. It really is sad the time taken on preparing for a test that could be spent on something else. It is even worse that Special Ed students need to take the SAME test without any adaptations. I know that certain students that are not meeting expectations had to take...you guessed it...MORE tests! I am hoping that when I go back to teaching there will not be such a focus on testing because it really is a shame.
Posted by: Kristine | 04/03/2013 at 06:16 PM
I hope Elias will always feel such nonchalance toward the tests. Too many of my students with special needs are needlessly stressed out by these tests that don't reflect at all the gains they have truly made.
And me--I have spent the last two days monitoring a bathroom. I don't mind helping my school, but always feel bad being paid speech therapist money to say, "Shhhh" all day long!
Posted by: Lisa Y | 04/03/2013 at 06:32 PM
We yearn for normalcy when we fall outside the lines; yet we strive to distinguish ourselves among the masses.
Posted by: greta | 04/03/2013 at 08:15 PM
Found out Elias only answered 7 questions on his first test, the reading test. But what matters to me is that he felt like he did good. Danielle, I love your comment b/c I am guessing my way through life every day. There are no right answers.
And yes, Sara and Hawes, potter was one in a million:)
Kristine and Lisa, I too hope we move away from standardized tests as our main indicators of student success. We all know there are some many more ways to show what we've learned.
Greta, so true.
Thanks all!!!
Posted by: Christy | 04/07/2013 at 04:10 PM