Testing: How Much Is Too Much?

edCircuit Breakdown:

• The backlash against standardized assessments is real. Some states, like Georgia, are considering alternatives to standardized testing.
• One county in Florida has taken the initiative to scale back their standardized testing in an effort to achieve less testing, more teaching.
• According to a study conducted by the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS), the average student completes 112 mandatory standardized assessments between grades Pre-K to 12.

edCircuit Analysis:

The backlash against standardized testing has been growing in recent years. Parents, students and educators alike are growing frustrated with the amount of testing students must endure in their K-12 academic careers, which some claim averages out to a significant 20-25 hours per year of testing.

This onslaught of assessment leads to a practice known throughout education as “teaching to the test.” Educators have to abandon the art of teaching, sometimes for a month or more, in order to prepare their students for assessments. As lawmakers raise the stakes on test results, in some cases tying teacher pay to how well their students perform, we see an increase in teaching to the test and in outright fraud.

Moving forward, the education industry faces challenges to strike a balance between helping students become rounded critical thinkers and having some kind of accountability system in place to measure results. One thing more and more people agree upon is that the current system needs fixing.

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Further Reading

1. UDK – Center for Teaching Excellence awarded grant to help improve faculty evaluations
2. EdWeek –Gates Ends Investment in Teacher Evaluation: What That Means for the Field
3. EdSurge – How to Overcome Apathy and Disillusionment When Standardized Tests Fail Kids