Across New York State third through eighth grade students will be sitting for their standardized ELA and Math tests.
This will signal the end of learning for many children.
Testing, at one point, was used to determine how much of the curriculum the student had learned and what more the teacher had to cover before the end of the year.
Mid-term exams were administered in January and that gave students and teachers the insight necessary to determine what measures were necessary to prepare for finals.
If at the end of the school year the student had not grasped the concepts of the grade level, the student repeated the grade to learn the required information.
In the past teachers used testing to determine how their students learn best and how best to engage the various learning styles of their students. Testing was used to determine if the information imparted was received, understood and internalized for future reference. Once tests were administered and graded, teachers and students would review the questions and answers together and discuss what a proper answer was and what made an answer incorrect; part of the learning experience.
Like education, the intent of testing has changed.
The original intent of testing was to asses student knowledge and understanding of the material taught and to give teachers an understanding of their students’ abilities so that they can adjust their teaching strategies to address the learning styles of their students to insure their students were prepared for success in the next grade.
Tests did not decide the future freedom of the child, the employment of the teacher or the amount of funding an LEA received.
Many parents across the state have opted their children out of the testing process. Too many students, mostly in large urban districts, will take the tests, undermining the protests of those who don’t.
We must provide a united front to remove the corporate influence in education.
Our children deserve to go to school to learn and become knowledgeable, concerned, actively engaged citizens of these United States.
Join the Movement to Save Our Children!
