Subscribe to RSSAssessment vs. Engagement
Just wanted to share some thoughts…I’m at a conference in Dallas this week to learn how to help teachers with designing engaging work for students. It’s been great so far, but the one thing that keeps popping up in conversation with teachers that are here continues to be the argument that we can’t create engaging work because we don’t have time. Teachers say that their time is occupied with preparing for the state-based assessment. This particular district (like many others in Texas), prepares students for the TAKS by testing them in various areas (i.e. reading, math, writing, science) every 9 weeks to see how they are doing. Oh, and they also have unit tests, spelling tests, reading level assessments, and the list goes on and on. I guess if we test the kids enough, they’ll do better on the state assessment, right?!
I’ve heard that you can’t grow a prize pig/pumpkin/(fill in with an appropriate agricultural product here for the County Fair) by continually weighing it. I think that’s a good analogy for what we’re doing to our kids. We spend so much time on assessment that I wonder if we really cover content. One of the things we heard at this conference was eye-opening for me. I guess I’ve heard it before, but it didn’t really hit me as significant, until this time. I hope I can convey it as I heard it…think about a scenario where we really worked hard at engaging kids and suddenly 90% or more of our students mastered the objectives we cover each year. What would teachers think? parents? other students? Would the response be that we’ve finally helped every child to succeed? or would it more likely be that we lowered our standards? You see, my kid only looks good because your kid does poorly on the assessment. If there is no “assessment” then how can we measure the kids against each other? And really, what does the constant assessing do for us? We get to figure out how to rank the students from good to bad, then we concentrate our resources on the “bubble” kids–those students who are hovering on the pass/fail mark. We don’t have to worry about the “good” kids because they will perform well, in spite of us. We don’t really worry about the low students because there isn’t much we can do in a year to bring them up to passing. So we focus on the bubble students, because that will get us the most improvement in our scores.
I can hear the protests now–”that’s not what we do! We focus on helping all of our students succeed!!” Sure, that’s what we say, but what do we practice? If you look at where the resources (money, time, people) are being allocated, we really do focus on helping those students who can improve to improve. Think about it…what do we hear most about? Test scores and how we can improve them.
Which brings me back to the question I started pondering about–where do we find the time to engage students when we have to be ready for the state assessment? Maybe the question should be–how can we NOT find the time to engage students! It’s hard to believe, but if we actually did focus on engaging students on the content in a high-level manner, the assessment would take care of itself. It’s up to us as instructors to design work that so engages students that they WANT to learn–what a concept! So how do we engage students? Well, there are a number of ways, but one of the ways is to utilize the technologies we’ve been blogging and podcasting about. Educators talk about creating real-world experiences for students–well, it doesn’t get any more “real-world”, than to use the tools that are current and important in students’ lives today. Instead of blocking and banning social networking tools, figure out how to use them to your advantage. We have to meet kids where they are, and we can’t wait 50 years for these tools to catch on in the teaching profession. The time is now–embrace and engage.
*These are my views, but they came about as a result of the work that Phil Schlechty has been sharing at our conference. I hope to blog more about some of the key concepts we’ve been learning about, as this helps me work through my learning. Click here to download a pdf of an interview with Phil that summarizes his philosophy. Check out his website or email me if you want to know more.
btw…my 5 things post is coming soon…
5 People have left comments on this post
Jan 12, 2007 - 06:01:01Can I give a wholeheartedly AMEN! Ironic that I just read this–I just got off the phone with my niece, who is a parapro in the state of Georgia. I, for one DO want to engage students in engaging cooperative work for my students. Of course, as a relatively new teacher (just second year here) There are still many things to learn about the ‘ropes of the place’, and of the politics involved in the teaching profession. I’ll be the first to admit, that I want to help every student, but sadly, I feel as if I’m cooerced into helping the bubble children. The administration that is in our school feels that way, as well. They don’t like it any more than the teachers. So, how do we change this?
On one hand, I can see the point of assessment. Years ago, we were having jocks who could throw a football a half a field’s length, but they couldn’t read or write. This was the ‘norm’ at an alarming trend. Teachers needed to be held accountable. I agree. Students need to be held accountable. I agree. However, how do we do this, and not box our students in a certain range? Gardner’s learning differences come to mind. But, to create engagine work, we need what we don’t have: time and money. I was mentally doing a run through of my schedule so far, and I do just as much, if not more–assessment paperwork (grading, reporting, analyzing, submitting, etc) as I do on preparing engaging lessons. How do we balance it? What’s the magic answer?
Good thoughts, Helen,
thanks for sharing them :)
Lisa
So in political terms, what types of educational policies could the federal and state governments enact which would allow teachers to have the TIME they need, and also place emphasis on engagement rather than summative assessment? This is a million dollar question, I think, and I don’t know the answer. My instinct is that we need to have educational de-regulation, but just removing the current assessment requirements of NCLB wouldn’t necessarily cause schools to focus on engaging students. Traditional models of instruction persist in large part because of historical momentum. I wonder if schools should be assessed by “happiness and engagement” surveys of both parents and students? Do students and their parents report they are happy with school? Do they report they are engaged in meaningful work, which they are intrinsically motivated to complete? Do kids love school and want to go to school? These may sound like fluff measures to some, but I wonder if assessments like that could have the desired effects you’re identifying here?
A principal of mine once said, “If you teach the TEKS, the TAKS test will take care of itself.” Maybe instead of focusing on the bubble kids and the benchmarks, we could use that time to plan and create these engaging lessons.
I do, however, think there needs to be some kind of accountability. If students enjoy school, that is absolutely wonderful, however, it doesn’t ensure they will have the necessary skills to go to the next grade level, right? So, what’s the accountability? I wish I knew.
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