Test Scores that Influence Reform May Be Inflated

Yesterday in the New York Times, there was a article called "On New York School Tests, Warning Signs Ignored." The article discusses that New York has placed a big focus on standarized testing in the schools. The test scores are used to determine whether or not policies are working and they are also used to determine which teachers receive tenure, which schools get funding, and which principals and teachers get bonuses. Although New York's scores have been increasing, there have been flaws in the process. "Evidence had been mounting for some time that the state's tests, which have formed the basis of almost every school reform effort of the past decade, has serious flaws." After years of having simlar tests and releasing the past test questions, the tests have become short and predictable. Teachers are now only focusing on the reading and math subjects and people are wondering if it is considered real learning if you know what is going to be on the tests. Some believe that authentic learning is not going on. There is evidence that the scores are now inflated and the scores do not truly reflect the proficiency level of New York's students.

This topic of standarized testing seems to always arise in conversation when discussing reform, measuring student's knowledge, and also measuring the effectiveness of teachers. I agree that some type of measurement is necessary, but it seems that so much focus on standardized tests can bring negative effects or even produce false information reflecting the academic levels of our students. If test scores are going to be a big factor in determining teacher effectiveness and student knowledge, the tests need to be accurately measure student understanding. We cannot just look at scores; we need to look at what they really mean. The questions on the tests need to meet national standards and we need to make sure that they hold our students to high standards. If we make the tests like the MSA and HSA easy to pass, then more students will be able to graduate, but the tests will hold no value. I do not know what the best way to measure students learning is, but if we are going to use standarized tests to do so, we need to make sure they are being using in a logical and meaningful way. I think that if we are truly going to improve education for our students in Baltimore, then we need to think about what the data from the MSA and HSA means. They should not just be a random number-I honestly do not know what getting a 412 on the Algebra HSA or a 400 on the Biology HSA means. I think that teachers have started to teach towards the tests and focus on HSA topics and problems to prepare our students. I think that doing so can take away from the educational experience. Recently I have heard that soon the MSA and HSA will not be used to measure our students' academic knowledge and that new tests will be implemented (and have heard that they are more aligned to the national standards). I think that we should hold our students in Baltimore to the same expectations as students all around the country.