State has gone overboard on level of testing
The Lexington Dispatch
April 12, 2001

EOG. ABC. SAT. Sometimes it seems our educational system is being overtaken by acronyms.

Behind those various acronyms of tests and reform efforts are students and teachers being affected by the mad rush to try and
test how much knowledge a student possesses, and how much a teacher has taught.

We all want students to learn while they spend 13 years in North Carolina classrooms so they will be proficient in a wide
range of skills upon graduation. We all want them to have competent teachers who have a solid grasp of the subject matter and present it in a compelling way.

However, the desire to quantify that learning and teaching appears to be swinging too far. One example is the end-of-semester tests fifth-graders will begin taking next month.

A group of parents and teachers descended on Raleigh this week to protest those tests and the end of social promotion. Their fear is that many fifth-graders will be retained, and won't move on to sixth grade.

Some alarming numbers appear to back up their concern. About 30,000 fifth-graders failed to perform on grade level on
the test last year. One study estimated 6,300 of the 105,000 fifth-graders in the state will have to repeat the grade. That's 6 percent of fifth-graders or, on average, three for every two classes.

Talk to a fifth-grade student who will be taking this test. They are aware of the consequences if they fail the test and don't achieve the required score on a second chance. Think about the pressure this places on a student to score well.

The situation will get worse before it gets better, as third- and
eighth-graders begin taking the end-of-semester tests next year. More tests, more pressure.

Students have always taken tests, and there has always been a certain amount of pressure associated with them. However, if a student blows one test, he knows he can overcome it by doing well on others. The end-of-semester tests are all or nothing; fail and you won't be promoted.

State educators point out principals can grant exceptions if a student fails the test so he or she won't be held back. Parents can also appeal decisions.

It shouldn't come to that. The people who know best - local teachers and administrators - should determine whether a student has the skills to move to the next grade.

Talk to a teacher about how the state's emphasis on end-of-grade tests has affected their approach. Now they teach the test, rather than trying to give students a well-rounded education. And with the ABC accountability program, they know that poor scores can affect their salary.

Legislators, many who favor local control, need to understand this, and start moving away from a one-size-fits-all testing emphasis. State education officials also need to realize this, and trust local
educators to make the right decision.

We should hold educators responsible for teaching our children, but repeated high-stakes testing isn't the way to determine their success.

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