Testing For What

Cross-posted at the Huffington Post.

NJ Spotlight is a fantastic resource for me.  They are unbiased in their approach to educate citizens on numerous topics, with education being one of them.  I recently came across an opinion piece titled Putting New Jerseys High School Diplomas to the Test.  The article focused on NJs relentless push to increase standardized testing and institute end of course exams that students would have to pass in order to graduate.  It really got me thinking about the direction we are headed in and the negative consequences that it will ultimately have on our learners.

Image credit: http://dhayeseng100fall2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/standardized-testing-comic3.jpg

It is safe to say that the situation in NJ is no different than many states across the country.  For many misguided and misinformed reasons, politicians think that the education system in the United States is not up to par.  As a result, marching orders have been sent down to each state’s DOE to hold teachers and schools more accountable.  New laws have been passed and mandates implemented with little or no input from educators.  To make matters worse, schools and educators are being asked to quickly adhere to these mandates with inadequate training, preparation, and field testing.  I am a firm believer in accountability measures that are backed by research, but less so in those that line the pockets of special interest groups.

So when and how did all of this school failure rhetoric begin?  The NJ Spotlight piece points this out with a little history lesson in NCLB:

"NCLB was a dismal failure in raising academic performance or narrowing gaps in opportunity and outcomes. But its over-reliance on mandated testing did succeed in creating a narrative of school failure that undermined support for public education and led to a decade of bad policy in the name of reform."

The ultimate goal should be to develop a love for learning amongst our students and prepare them to be successful in any college and/or career they choose.  Achievement is great and what we should strive for, but actual learning and growth is much more important.  The centerpiece of the majority of education reform efforts is standardized testing.  Students will NEVER come to school excited to take one of these tests.  They yearn for true authentic, relevant, meaningful learning experiences that inspire inquiry and the desire to learn more.  This is the key to college and career readiness in my mind.

Are we really testing students to determine if they are college and career ready? Like many others I am a bit skeptical of this.  Here is an excerpt from the NJ Spotlight piece:

"In fact there is little evidence that an exit testing policy leads to better prepared graduates, improved college participation or completion rates, or benefits to a state’s economy. Less than half the states have high stakes graduation exams, and several that did recently ended them. A recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that “challenging standards-based exams reduce graduation and increase incarceration rates.” The study found no corresponding positive effects on employment or earnings."

If that wasnt eye-opening enough here is another piece from the article that I found as a compelling argument against graduation tests, or any standardized exam for that matter, that will be linked to a student graduating:

"Current graduation tests don’t reliably measure what they pretend to measure (“intelligence,” “academic ability,” “college readiness”), and they don’t measure at all qualities all high school graduates should have (responsibility, resilience, critical thinking ability, empathy). The new tests are not likely to be much better. They must be given over computer networks many schools don’t have and will still mainly consist of multiple choice questions that assess a narrow range of skills and curricula." 

Please take a look at the entire NJ Spotlight article for more insightful information about the road ahead. So what are we really testing students for?  I have my opinions please share yours.  Maybe this dialogue will resonate with policy and decision makers so that they can right the ship before it crashes.

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What Constitutes Good PD

We can all agree that professional development is essential in any profession, especially education.  It is an opportunity to become better at what we do as well as gain knowledge on new pedagogical techniques, learning theories, leadership strategies, technologies, and federal/state mandates.  With budgets being continuously slashed across the country, Districts are beginning to tighten their belts.  When this happens the first line item to get cut is professional development.  This has resulted in fewer and fewer opportunities for educators to attend out of district learning opportunities as there is no funding to support travel, registration fees, and expenses.  

Image credit: http://theevolutionofeducation.blogspot.com/2011/07/people-development-is-key-to.html

Professional development has now become the sole burden of school districts for better or worse.  It has become a tug of war, in a sense, as districts use this valuable time, which equates to only a day or two in many cases, to focus on organizational needs.  On the other hand, individual educators have specific needs and passions that they want to explore.  They want the freedom to chart their own learning course while receiving support from the organization to do so.  Quality professional development rests in the ability of the organization to not only meet their needs, but also that of its constituents. 

Something has to give though.  The trainings that many educators are now forced to attend are usually driven by whatever the federal and state governments have mandated.  The key word here is forced.  Educators now have to attend mandate-driven workshops on the Common Core, teacher/principal evaluation, and student growth objectives.  Now, I am not saying that these things are not important, but it is hard as a professional to develop a love for learning when one has to succumb to daylong trainings with absolutely no authenticity.  Many more questions than answers materialize.  Will this help my students learn and achieve? Is this yet another flavor-of-the-month initiative? Is this a wise use of our time?

When the organization dominates the planning, agenda, and implementation of mandate-driven professional development, the end result it often catastrophic.  The most important element of PD is missing – the needs, desires, and passions of the learner.  Even in the absence of mandates, organizations seem to be out of touch with their stakeholders as session after session becomes death by PowerPoint and stacks of paper handouts. The dominating structure fulfills the goal of pumping as much information as possible into our heads, yet fails to inspire change.  

Effective professional development is:

• Meaningful
• Relevant
• Allowing educators to choose what they what to learn about
• Accommodating to different learning styles
• Providing time to apply what has been learned
• Focused on one initiative as opposed to many simultaneously
• Organized in a way that time to apply what has been learned is provided
• Convenient in the sense that learning can take place at anytime from anywhere
• Cost-effective
• Embedded into the school day if possible
• Accessed through available technology
• Resulting in observable outcomes related to changes in professional practice and student achievement

The list above includes some lofty, but necessary, expectations of professional development today.  So where do we begin?  Below are some effective strategies, ideas, and learning opportunities that will provide you and your school the means to invigorate professional development to get real results. Each is hyperlinked to additional information.

• Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s)
• Personal Learning Networks (PLN’s)
• Professional Growth Periods (PGP’s)
• Edcamps (For an introduction to Edcamp click HERE)
• Edscape - Saturday October 19, 2013 at New Milford HS (NJ)

In this day and age we must take control of our own learning if organizations are not providing and/or supporting meaningful PD opportunities.  The three pathways above provide practical, cost-effective, and accessible means to improve professional practice. Nothing is more important than our own learning if we are to not only meet the demands of the profession, but also the needs of our students. Great teachers do not wait for PD days!

So what did I miss?  What are some other issues with professional development? Can you provide other innovative and effective PD options?

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