And now a word from a New York certified teacher of Pre-K through Grade 6...
I must indulge each and every one of you to hear me out.
Education has changed in the 28 years that I have been involved in it, as a professional.
It has not changed for the better.
There was a time, in the United States, and in the Great State of New York, when we would follow a prescribed curriculum for each grade level. That particular grade level had its own specific concepts to teach in each subject. If you were a parochial school teacher, you gave a cumulative January and June examination in each subject. You tested only the material that has been taught. If you were a public school teacher, you gave a unit test, following each unit of study. At Grades K-6, there were state PEP tests (Program Evaluation Tests in Engliah Language Arts, and Mathematics in Grades 3 and 6). Most school districts also administered some sore of intelligence test at each grade level, such as the Stanford Achievement Test or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The information gained from them was not used to evaluate teachers, but to aid in student placement into remedial or advanced track programs.
In the 1990s the New York State Board of Regents changed the testing program to include "benchmark" year tests. At Grades 4 and 8, students took achievement tests in ELA, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies to evaluate the program, and student progress. These tests were not used to evaluate teachers. In fact, it was though that four major state tests was considered "too much" for grade 4 students, so the Social Studies test was moved to November of the Grade 5 year. Again, only material from the established curriculum was being tested on the exams.
Enter GW Bush, and the No Child Left Behind Act in the early 2000s. Mr. Bush decided that all students needed to be tested annually to insure that nobody "slips between the cracks." And he tied federal aid money to schools to it. If your state did not set up a standardized testing system, you risked losing federal money for schools. In New York State, that meant that that all students in grades 3-8 would be tested, every year, in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. The scores from these tests were reported to parents. They were used to place students in remedial programs if they fell below a certain score, which changed from year-to-year, depending on the material and complexity of each test. From one year to the next, the "passing point score" would be different. Students who scored a 750 (and the formula for calculating the scores was known only to the New York State Education Department) one year would be considered at grade level. The following year, a grade of 750 may be considered "at risk" of failure. There was no consistency.
As teachers, we had to learn task analysis, and study each question being asked. We looked for patterns and adjusted our test taking strategy instruction to meet those patterns. We were told by administration that they wanted high achieving test scores. And in my district, we delivered them! We did this by taking the curriculum, and delivering it "state test style" through multiple choice questions, writing tasks, and problem solving questions. We had to teach strategies for students who reluctant test takers. We incorporated test taking strategies throughout the curriculum, throughout the year. The result, we raised our test scores to the point where the New York State Education Department thought that there were TOO MANY kids passing the test!
In 2010, the New York State Education Department was so convinced that our scored were too high, that they re-scored the entire state's tests and changed the passing score to a higher point level. Starting in 2011, newer, tougher state tests were given, and all state test materials were embargoed, immediately following the administration of the state tests. Up until then, we were allowed to use the previous year's state test materials as practice tests. Now, all materials are carefully counted out before and after administration. We are asked to sign an affidavit that we did not copy, or cheat in any way during the test administration. The penalty for being caught with embargoed materials is a disciplinary action or job dismissal.
Enter the Common Core Curriculum. The Obama Administration feels that this is the way to ensure that all 50 states have the same level of complexity and rigor in the public schools. This way, kids in Mississippi and South Carolina are receiving the same level of expectation and rigor as kids in California or Massachusetts. The Common Core is more rigorous than what most states have in their established school curricula. It is being phased in, nationwide, as I write this.
The problem is that individual states, (New York, being one of them), in their misguided zeal to be educational leaders, have incorrectly implemented the standards, and the tests that accompany them. This past year, we implemented the Common Core Curriculum in English Language Arts. It consisted of a series of monthly tasks that students were required to complete, in order to prepare then for the new Common Core State Tests in May of 2013. The tasks were being written (by one district administrator) and delivered to teachers via e-mail on Friday, with the expectation that we would begin teaching that next piece on Monday. Some lessons went well, others did not work without major changes or pre-teaching on our part. The Common Core tests were so rigorous that we had students breaking down in tears in frustration. The complexity of the questions went well beyond the established curriculum at all levels. And, of course, the tests are embargoed.
Add in the new state teacher evaluations. The Common Core test scores will now be used to count towards a minimum of 20% of our annual evaluations. Every teacher, no matter how many years that they have been teaching, is worried that their job is on the line. All it takes is a couple of unmotivated students that do not show progress to lower the score. We are all in the same, sinking boat right now.
I have less than ten years until I retire. I worry for the young teachers who are just starting out. Will they be able to survive the incredibly increased stress level? I just don't know.....
