Title: What's so bad about teaching to the test? | Parenting
Headings: What’s so bad about teaching to the test?
What’s so bad about teaching to the test?
Is teaching to the test bad?
No Child Left Behind puts testing on the front burner
It’s all about alignment
Some test-taking skills are important to learn
Tests can be used as diagnostic tools
Focus on the tests brings attention to state standards
When there isn’t alignment, there are problems
Where does teaching critical thinking fit in?
Is there too much emphasis on the tests?
High stakes mean high risks
Tests are here to stay
Questions to ask at your school

Content: We encourage our teachers to focus on grade-level content standards rather than the test.’ We specifically discourage ‘test-preparation’ activities and try to foster the understanding that our students will do well as long as they are proficient in their grade-level standards. “My personal experience has been that in spite of the stress surrounding the state-mandated testing, without the test many teachers would be less conscientious about addressing grade-level standards. If we consider the standards to be a means to ensure instructional equity for all students then I think it is important that all students — regardless of the district or school they attend, or who their teacher is — have access to instruction in those standards. If it is necessary to mandate assessment in order to be sure that this happens, we may have to live with that until and unless we, as a profession, can devise a better way to be sure that all students are guaranteed a high-quality educational experience.” “There is a big difference between teaching to the test and teaching the test,” says Nancy Grasmick, Maryland’s state superintendent of schools, in a recent article in the American School Boards Journal. “ If you’re teaching to the test and you’re mirroring good teaching that will enhance learning, then we don’t see anything wrong with that.” When there isn’t alignment, there are problems
Problems arise when the state test is not aligned with the standards. Students are then tested on skills that may not be part of the curriculum and schools feel pressure to have their students perform well on state tests because these results are published in the local newspapers. Test prep then means taking time away from the standards-based curriculum to teach test items and test-taking skills.