by AFT President Sandra Feldman
July 2000

Tests should be
just one part
of the standards
reform process

Teachers have always given tests, and kids have always complained about them. But the reactions to the new state testing systems go way beyond the usual and have become a backlash. Many of these reactions are well founded. And if we don't pay attention to them, the good that testing has done, as well as the standards movement--which teachers, parents, and the public still strongly support--could be at risk. We can't allow that to happen.

Before standards-based reform, there was great variation in what states, districts, and even individual schools required of students and, therefore, great variation in the quality of education. Some students went to schools where they were held to high standards of achievement; others--usually poor kids--did not.

Reforms Are Working

Real standards reform--the kind that makes sure all kids get a rich curriculum, extra help if they need it to master the work, and tests that reflect the curriculum--is the most direct path to remedying longstanding inequities. And, despite some stumbles in the standards movement, we are already seeing solidly positive results.

For example, reading scores for 9-year-olds in the nation’s highest-poverty schools increased by 8 percentage points--almost a full grade level--between 1992 and 1999; and more students are taking, and passing, academic courses and Advanced Placement classes and exams. (And, as we know, successfully completing challenging courses is the best predictor of success in college.)

Why are there signs of backlash against some of the state tests? For example, students in Massachusetts boycotted the assessments--many with their parents' approval. People in Virginia demanded a relaxation of the Standards of Learning exams. And there have been stories from many districts about kids who are paralyzed by test anxiety and teachers who are forced to spend too much class time preparing their students to take the tests. There have even been stories of cheating and tampering with test scores at some schools.

Cheating is always wrong. The backlash, though, points up some real problems. One is that in some states and districts tests are just about the only part of the standards process that has been put into place. These other pieces include:

• curriculum that is based on the new standards students are supposed to achieve
• professional development so teachers are fully equipped with the classroom skills and methods the new curriculum requires
• help for children who fall behind.

But some students face make-or-break exams, and schools and teachers are also held accountable for their students' scores, with few, if any, of these essential pieces in place. Moreover, some of the tests aren't even based on the state's standards.

Another problem is that in some states and districts, pressure to show big improvements on test scores forces teachers to spend weeks, and even months, drilling students on the tests. In effect, the tests become the curriculum. Now, there is nothing wrong with preparing kids for a test--when they also have a rich curriculum. But when tests are allowed to become the be-all and end-all, they deform, not reform, education.

Let's Fix What's Wrong

The solution to these problems is not to abandon testing but to fix what is wrong. It would be disastrous to go back to where we were before we started on standards reform, and polls make it clear that the majority of Americans don't want to. Tests are an essential part of that reform. They are necessary to measure progress and show us who needs help and for fair accountability. But legitimate questions about problems with high-stakes testing should not simply be dismissed or trivialized.

High-stakes testing by itself is not enough. Our schools and students need the entire package of standards reforms--and the more they have of it, the better they do. It's up to the states to follow through--and it’s up to all of us to keep the pressure on until they do.