Why You Can't "Standardize" Children - Another Reason to Homeschool
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 5:01AM
'Tis the season.
In our neck of the woods it's the CRCT.
I've taught in systems where it was the ITBS. When I taught in the state of Texas it was the TAAS.
Whatever the letters you give them, standardized tests cause children to dread going to school for a week (sometimes longer) because they know the drudergy and boredom that awaits them.
I am well aware of the "NEED" for standardized tests.
I have a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision. I spent two years of my life learning how to perpetuate the mass education and standardization of our nation's children - to turn them all into dutiful workers for the state. Before that I spent 10 years administering tests as a teacher in the public schools.
I could spout off dozens of "whys" for standardized testing.
I will be giving my own children the ITBS next month. I don't want to, but I have to (per the state of Georgia), and I know they need to be familiar with the reality of testing in our society.
No matter why they take the tests, children can't be STANDARDIZED, and neither can their learning.
Children are More than a Test
If you really KNOW a child, you know they are so much more than a test. They are heart, soul, creativity, feelings, and a host of other things.
How can you measure subjective qualities like that?
Judging children by a test totally discounts their personalities and God given abilities.
Standardized Tests Can Be Outdated and Biased
When I was teaching I had a child ask me a question during the ITBS. This child was supposed to answer a series of questions based upon a picture.
That picture was of a telephone booth. This was the year 2000. Phone booths were nearly obsolete, and in our suburban area this child had never seen one and didn't know what it was.
I couldn't help them.
That child missed every question in that section.
Their self esteem suffered because of a dumb test. I remember feeling so powerless.
I also worked in a 100% African American school. I wasn't aware how biased these tests are against African American children, but they are.
Ridiculous, right?
The system is so broken it's just overwhelming to even think about fixing it - so we'll just keep doing what we are doing.
Teachers Are Devalued by Standardized Tests
I know so many wonderful teachers that were required to "teach to the test". They knew it was wrong, but they had to follow the rules of their administration.
I worked in one school where we had to place our learning objectives on a bulletin board in the hall... specific objectives in state mandated language. When people from the central office came by they were supposed to see evidence of "instruction to match testing goals."
Blech.
Those poor teachers. Talk about stifling creativity.
Those poor students.
Poor everyone involved, really.
Standardized Tests Bring Out The Worst in People
People will go to great lengths to ensure their school performs well on "the test".
Just consider what went on right here in Atlanta a few years ago. How sad.
Reading this sums it up:
It "confirms our worst fears," says Mayor Kasim Reed. "There is no doubt that systemic cheating occurred on a widespread basis in the school system." The news is “absolutely devastating," said Brenda Muhammad, chairwoman of the Atlanta school board. "It’s our children. You just don’t cheat children.”
You just don't cheat children.
Or do we?
A Personal Story
I didn't really think very deeply about standardized tests until my daughter was affected by them. She always tested well. So well, in fact, that her second grade teacher recommended (after good test scores and personal observation) that she be "tested" for the talented and gifted program at her school (called REACH).
As a parent, I was very proud. She took the tests.
We waited for the results.
Rather than receiving a call, or even an email, my daughter got off the bus one day with an envelope. The gifted teacher had given it to her that day at school and had told her not to open it. It was for mom and dad to open.
She excitedly gave it to me, anticipating the results inside.
Looking back, I should have waited and opened it privately. Instead, however, we opened it together in the driveway.
Inside, the message (in bold type) said:
"Your child, Anna, did NOT qualify for the REACH program."
From that instant I had a very disappointed little girl in my house. Nothing we could tell her would make her feel better about herself.
I didn't care one bit about her not getting into the gifted program. I cared about my precious girl's heart that had been crushed - her self esteem trampled on.
I expressed my dissatisfaction with the teacher and the principal.
I kept thinking in the back of my mind how she would be pigeon holed into a track of classes in middle school - not eligible for "honors classes" because she wasn't on that gifted track.
I felt sick to my stomach. How could "THEY" know -- that my daughter - at the age of 8 - could be confined to a lower track than other children?
This was one of the final nails in our public school coffin.
The final nail came when in the beginning of third grade, at the first parent-teacher conference, her teacher told me what a lovely girl Anna was. She said (and I quote) "I don't see her as "gifted" but she certainly loves to please and this will take her far."
I wanted to mention how this "desire to please" and "love of learning" might just ensure her success more than someone who was naturally "gifted". Her drive and determination might actually serve her better in life.
I knew then and there I couldn't leave my child in this environment for much longer.
Oh, I know many children that did just fine there, but I wasn't willing to leave my child's future in the hands of a system that clearly didn't have her best interest at heart.
And I think, if many parents really ask themselves what is best for their own child, they would agree with me.
But I also think that many parents are just too uninformed, hesitant, or afraid of homeschooling to give it a try.
My daughter left that school just one month later... and the rest is history.
Yet Another Reason to Homeschool
My children's education now is SO FAR from what I was perpetuating 15 years ago.
I "measure" my children's learning through interest led, creative endeavors now.
I am so thankful for the right to homeschool. I am thankful to let my children be who God created them to be. I am thankful they will not be judged by their ability to "bubble in".
I am thankful for the courage we had to pull our kids out of a system that so obviously segregates, subdues, and shuts down our children.
In recent months I've thought a lot about how fortunate we are to homeschool, and how that decision has changed my family's life in so many ways. You might enjoy these popular posts:
How Homeschooling Turned Me Upside Down
Stop Telling Me Why You Can't Homeschool
I Want To Start Homeschooling But I Need Help
I'm curious - do you have to give your children standardized tests in your state? What are the requirements?
What are YOUR thoughts on standardized tests?
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Reader Comments (30)
We aren't required to give standardized tests here which I am thankful for. I cannot stand them. Never could. Despite the fact that I usually did well on them I never felt they were fair or really evaluated what a person knew. I know my kids will have to be introduced to tests at some point, but I don't think they need that basis for judging themselves at such young ages. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Mary,
Yet another post that I can relate to you on! I can't wait for the day we can meet and spend hours talking about these subjects!!
We also live in Georgia and are required by law to give the tests every three years. We have a child that does not test well and never has. Now that she is older, she asks what her scores are and it is heartbreaking to see the look on her face when she sees the scores. She has convinced herself she is "dumb" and can do nothing to change it. If I were not required I would never test my child. I also see what my nephew goes through every year in the public school system getting ready for the CRCT, crazy.
Blessings
Diane
A hearty YES! to this post - thank you for writing it. My husband has worked with numerous inner-city charter schools and private schools, and we're both so bothered how biased these tests are for children of color. It's disturbing... But for all children, standardized tests offer little affirmation of who a child truly is (or false affirmation at times).
Our state requires homeschoolers to test in certain grades, so we roll with it. But, we don't highlight it as anything 'special' - even though our children score well. The gauge for what they're learning is much more than a set of standardized questions!
Great post, thanks again!
I have tested my oldest son twice and both times the results were disappointing. Even thought I know he is learning and very capable, I was letting this meaningless test discourage both me and my son. I won't be doing that again. The schools waste an entire week administering these dumb tests. Being a public school teacher must be so frustrating and demoralizing, I'm thankful we have a different choice for our children!
Here in Michigan we are not require not do I request my kids to take standardized testing. I too do not think these test really tell us about a persons true ability to do something besides take a standardized test.
For the kid who can do really creative hands on stuff how is this represented?? It's not! Personally I do not worry about my children's ability to take these tests. I am a doomsday predictor (actually I'm hopeful but most are so adamant against change being good that you must speak in the negative to be heard) and feel this wacky system that has been created for the masses will soon come to a thankful end!
Looking forward I see the kids who learn to do stuff, real stuff, as the success stories of the future. For example, I recently read that in my children's adult lives (like in the next 20 or so years) there will be a big shortage of plumbers. Ha ha yes plumbers! I read that the current age of today's plumbers who are retiring is not matched in any good way by the number of degrees/licenses/journeyman's cards being issues to fulfill the numbers. Again, real people doing real things. Skills that are not being evaluated by those standardized tests.
We live in a state where testing is required every year between the ages of 7-16 (age by Oct 1, so many kids are in 2nd grade when they first test). It can be any nationally-normed standardized test, so there is a lot of freedom to choose. I know a lot of families with younger kids like the Peabody test because it is administered orally. Our family decided to go with a "traditional" test. As long as we have to do it anyway, we thought we might as well help them to be totally comfortable with the idea of a fill-in-a-bubble test so that by the time they get to higher stakes tests they are not too stressed out by it. We also don't have to report the results, so if the student doesn't do super well, it really isn't a big deal.
I have friends that administer the test themselves, but I wasn't sure I could do that fairly for my own child. I have trouble not giving hints on spelling tests! So we do a group testing situation with our co-op. It's at the same place our co-op meets so everyone is comfortable with it. We do the ITBS as a group, and parents often give tests to kids other than their own. I administered a test to a first grader last year (1st grade test is read to the student), and I couldn't believe how silly some of the questions were (similar to your phone booth story -- questions like "which word rhymes with the item in the picture, and the picture was really obscure).
Last year was our first year testing, and the results didn't really tell me anything I didn't "know" - my DD had high scores in areas I know she excels at, and lower scores in areas she struggles with. I just tell her (she's my only one old enough to test) that we just do it to meet the state requirement, and not to worry about how well she does. We've worked hard on one particular area of weakness this year, so do have to admit I am curious to see if her score improves in that area. But mostly just "curious" since I know from real life that her skill is improving anyway! :-)
Very well said. As a mother of five, I have seen the negative effects not only on the children who are at a disadvantage because they do not test well, but also the disadvantage of testing to the children that do very well, giving them a terrible case of pride and arrogance (yes, I have children in both those categories as well as in between). Testing is unfortunately a "requirement" due to the way our system is set up, and although our state does not technically require homeschoolers to test, it is "highly recommended" and we are constantly under threats of legislators to change our homeschool-friendly law into a much stricter one if enough of us do not voluntarily submit to testing. Also, personally I test my children to prepare them for the reality of SATs and employment tests that they will unfortunately have to endure later in life. Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone could come up with a standardized test for kindness, respect, diligence, patience, joyful attitude and love? These are the things I tell my children to test themselves on!
I also live in Georgia. I have 3 kids, two of which are in public and I homeschool my youngest who is in 4th grade. I despise the standardized tests. Im not against a test but when there is SO much testing going on in the classroom along with the one at the end of the yr, that is just too much in my eyes:( Im particularly upset over the CRCT this yr. They changed it to align with Common Core...something that was just introduced into my kids schools this yr for the first time. My sons teacher said that there would be questions on the CRCT that they hadnt even covered yet. When I voiced my concerns with this, I was told "Oh he'll do fine, dont worry about it".
I have watched my older two kids being stressed over constantly being tested in class...test test test, everything is a test. Only to have also all the semester testing, etc and then of course the yrly big test:( Why cant they go back to the way it used to be? When Fridays were usually the test day for what you covered that week in your subjects, maybe a semester test and then a GOOD end of yr test that was fair? As it is now, from speaking to my kids, they are doing some sort of testing everyday!
Another problem I have. I dont think they are being fair to the teachers. They arent allowing them to teach how they want to teach or how they feel led to teach. We have SO many awesome teachers who could take our kids far if they would just untie their hands and let them go free! My older son was having problems in school last yr. He told me he just couldnt keep up with the teacher. I told him the next time that happens, or if he was confused about something to just raise his hand. He said he wasnt allowed to!! I of course brought this up to his teacher because honestly I thought maybe he was exaggerating. He wasnt.
She told me that she just had too much material to try and get through each day to have the time to stop and answer questions. She said it was hard to get it all in without any distractions or hold ups and so thats why the kids are not allowed to raise their hands for anything until after the class subject is over, which is what? 40 mins? My son said usually by that time hes had more questions come up and by the time he can ask a question, hes forgotten alot of it:( How is this best for our kids?? What happened to our classrooms where the teacher taught and there was discussion among the students and teachers, questions being answered, light bulbs going off?? So sad:(
Thank you so much for this post! I, too, live in GA.....and am facing the "testing" this year with my children (9th and 6th). I hate this requirement......I have one that tests fairly well.....and one who is a tactile learner and not so good at standardized testing. I find myself breaking up sections as much as possible. I also feel for the PS children and teachers at this time of year......we are a family affected by it every year since my husband is a PS Middle School teacher! He sees the advantages of home schooling, and tells me ALL the time how he wishes HE could teach the way I do!.......he is so stressed out about CRCT scores that he didn't sleep last night! How sad that we have to teach inside such a rigid BOX in the public system.....so that all we produce are look alike robots.....and SOOOO many children fall through the cracks! Praying daily for home schooling freedom to continue and for the "powers that be" to see what a disservice we are doing for our Public Schools.
I don't like to give tests to the kids, but we are required to do so here. I have always used the CAT test for them, but I don't put too much emphasis on it. The state watches to make sure the kids do not fall behind. I think testing is stressful. It always was for me. I was a smart kid but when you put a test in front of my, I stressed and my ability to test wasn't that great. I was usually around average on my tests. However, I graduated in the top ten percent.
MN requires testing. We order our own, it does not go thru the public school, and although it may be a "guide" to some, as to how their learner is progressing...it's held no suprises for us...we already know what the children are weak in, already know their strenghts, and so we make it as fun as possible...."Brain juice" ( any kind will do...just a fun bottle), "Smart Pills" ( aka Skittles), etc...while testing. I think it is a waste...because many of my kids are "visual" learners. And I've also run into the "I don't have a clue" of things they have never seen, OR where they use their imagionation instead, where the test does not welcome that. Follow the rules, but don't like. Once the results come, we focus on the talents, work on the weak area's and proceed to have fun learning at their pace, at their levels & enjoy learning together!
We are NOT required to give Homeschool kids any sort of tests. This post makes me sad and also makes me, once again, so happy to homeschool. I am actually working on a post on a Standardized test I gave Keilee. Great post Mary, as always. The 'telephone booth' made me just shake me head. We as homeschool Moms are even more aware I think of how ridiculous it is to pin a child's placement or future on ONE test.
Great article. Thank you so much for posting. Our state mandates standardized testing in 3rd, 5th and 8th grades. We participate but I don't teach to the tests, I don't research what will be on the tests and I don't really concern myself with the results. Each of my boys has different needs, different talents and different strengths and weaknesses. I teach to them and what we believe every child needs to master. To that end we concentrate on math, science, vocabulary, reading, logic, econ, civics and geography, latin. I want to raise well educated children who can think and learn for themselves. I want them to believe in lifelong learning. I am thankful to God for our freedom to homeschool.
We do not have standardized testing requirements (thank goodness). BUT, last week I had to gather all my materials to take to the principal of my son's school (he went back to public school this year when we moved) to PROVE what he did last year at home and they will "see about getting him those credits." One of the questions she asked me is if I had any assessments. I told her no, that I assessed him by what I knew he knew. if he knew it, we moved on. If he didn't, we didn't. They are going to "assess" him to make sure he deserves credit for the classes he and I took together at home last year. ANNOYING!! (I hope I don't have to end up going to the Supreme Court over this.)
Several years ago, I gave my then just-turned-3-year-old a k-en level (correlated to the spring time of k-en) standardized test. I tallied up his percentage scores on my own before sending them in for the percentile testing.
Amazingly - in one area where he had only 85% accuracy, he scored in the 99th percentile! Another area where he had a low-90s accuracy, he was in the 80-something percentile.
The first example indicates that they don't necessarily expect the children answer some questions correctly; the second example emphasizes the percentile ranking. Some children could get 100% accuracy (99th percentile) and those children with 98% accuracy are bumped down to 90th percentile... it just depends on the "typical" responses given.
The whole thing is convoluted and means nothing. The fact that my son was in the high 90s percentiles in everything except that one area, at age 3, having NOT attended any form of preschool at that time - and compared with k-en in school for almost a full year.... My child is smart, but I think our experience highlights the issues with the tests more than it suggests he is some kind of genius.
Great, great post, Mary. Excellent! Piper was a lot like Anna. In fact, she was also tested for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE is our acronym) BUT around that time she started vomitting on Sunday nights, it was determined that going to school was making her nervous and we were very confused about allowing her to participate in GATE. Allie, on the other hand, tested poorly. In fourth grade, she had a wonderful teacher, the best teacher she had since kindergarten. Allie finally had the words to express how she felt during a test, this teacher arranged for counseling and test strategy workshops, this teacher told Allie she could re-take all tests in her class. She re-took one test and then just having the pressure off of her she got 90s and above on all other tests and was on the Honor Roll and High Honor Roll every term. The day of the standardized test, however, she woke up SCREAMING that she could not see. It was not until I read John Taylor Gatto's book that I learned that when under stress the pupil can dilate to a point where the person can not see clearly. The school INSISTED that Allie had to take the test--I could not writer her out of it. The school also was very adamant that Allie needed anti-anxiety meds and I did not want to put my 10 year old on that medication......so we homeschooled :) and we love it and it's the best decision in parenting we have made.
I hate giving the standardized test. I hate asking my husband to take off an entire week of work to watch my younger two children so I can administer the test. I hate having to order a "practice" test so my girls aren't surprised by "new" concepts or math problems we haven't covered yet. I hate that I have to do all this and the only one who see the results are me. I look at them, and immediately file them where nobody will look at those results a second time! The only thing I'm grateful for is that I don't have to share the results and have "an official" tell me what my children are "lacking" according to "state standards". And Mary, I had the same experience in the public schools - our daughter's second grade teacher insisted she be tested for the gifted program too. Our envelope said the same, she did not get a high enough score on one of the three tests given. She was disappointed and I was angry at the school for getting her hopes up. Such a sad environment today. May God continue to bless us all with homeschooling freedom!
Please forgive my atrocious grammar in my previous comment! I also wanted to add something I observed in the local elementary school during the CRCT. The school administered the standardized tests in April. Once the week of testing was over, nothing else got accomplished in the classroom! It seemed as if everyone gave up for the year. I stopped counting how many parties my daughter had for the remaining month and a half of school. I pray this isn't a universal theme!
I've noticed in college that many of the 'gifted' students, the ones with perfect SAT scores and the such, are normally the ones wasting their lives away, getting drunk and stoned out of their minds and still passing all their courses with straight A's. I mean, if you have a test to tell you that you're better than everyone else, then what reason do you have to do any better and make something out of your life? The 'gifted' label really serves as a handicap more than anything.
I have a post on this topic coming up next week. I don't go at it from the same angle (which I love, btw --my daughter didn't test into the gifted program in first grade -- her only experience with ps -- either), but just talk about testing available to homeschoolers. We use the CAT/5 at home.
But I'm with you on the whole idea!
We live in AZ and we are not required to do any testing at all. This is our first year HS so I was a little concerned if I should test him or not. After reading your article, I decided I won't (at least not this year). I heard our state was one of the easiest ones to HS in.
I have followed you for only 8 months. I am deeply loving your stories and reminders of why we homeschool and encouragement to 'keep on'.
I too was homeschooled starting at highschool. For many of the same reasons. I flopped a math standardized test to get into the honors courses and my parents felt I too was gifted, showed potential and had great interest. They decided to do the 'honors' work at home and today I am a Professor of Finance (part time). I am grateful for my parents who had boldness. God had a better plan!
I substitute taught in our local school system before my eldest was school age. It was very disappointing to see how much creativity had been pulled out of teaching because so many teachers 'taught to the test'. Thankfully, as a private homeschooler, we have not been required to do standardized testing in California. I don't believe a standardized test is the best measure of my children's ability.
Back in the early 80's we had to send our boys to school to be tested. One year when my son had to use the rest room he got threatened by another student that he was going to shove his head in the toilet ! One of the essay questions for this same son who had NEVER been to school in his life was, "What is your most memorable moment at SCHOOL!!!! He answered that essay question by writing about his experience in the bathroom!
When I received the test results there was a big red circle around the obviously inadequate one sentence essay answer and big red letters across the whole page that said HOMESCHOOLED!!
Not a word was mentioned about how traumatized my son was by being bullied!!