Teaching to the Test.

As most of us know, many states have implemented a form of standardized testing for children in school. These tests are supposed to help the student by tracking their progress and seeing where they need help. Some of these tests are considered to be "High-Stakes" tests. These tests are used to make decisions such as if the student will graduate from high school. Currently, there are 17 states that require students to pass a test before they are allowed to graduate from high school (Fairtest.org).

What are the issues with these high-stakes tests? Are they fair to the student? Are teachers helping their students to pass or teaching them only the required information to pass?

I am going to look at this issue using the functionalism approach. This approach looks at more of a macro level instead of a micro level. What are the issues on a larger level? The functionalism approach looks at a social issue as a being or functioning thing. What are the parts that need to work properly for this being to survive? If you take the heart out of a man will he continue to live? No he will not. The functionalism approach looks at what will happen later down the line if you change a functioning thing.

After speaking with many of the teachers at the school where my wife teaches, it seems that many teachers teaching the students only the necessary information to pass the tests for one main reason. If the teachers students are not passing these tests, they receive lower scores on their reviews as teachers.

Is this an issue? Why is it not okay for teachers to only "Teach to the Test"?

From kindergarten to our senior year in high school we are taught many necessary skills to be able to survive and thrive in life after school. The things we learn up to the point of entering high school are a foundation for what we will learn in high school. If we enter high school and are only learning information to pass a test, aren't we defeating the purpose of going to school?

When I was in high school, we were not required to take a high-stakes test. I feel this allowed the teachers to teach to us because it was their passion, and not because they wanted to receive a better review. This also allowed us to take classes we were interested in and learn things we wanted to learn. We were not stuck with a curriculum full of information only found on the tests.

Here is a funny be seriously true video on teaching to the test!

References:

"The Dangerous Consequences of High-Stakes Standardized Testing."Http://www.fairtest.org. 17 Dec. 2007. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. .