Educators: Testing saps needed money Teacher time, books, courses squeezed
Charlotte Observer
Sunday, April 22, 2001
By MARION CALLAHAN

North Carolina's tough testing program is prompting some schools to divert money from regular classroom programs to pay for test-prep materials, calculators and tutoring for low-performing students, educators across the region say.

Although test scores have never mattered more, schools say the state isn't giving them enough money to carry out the high-stakes testing program. And schools are so desperate to get the best scores, they're making tradeoffs in the classroom, according to teachers and principals. Consider:

Students in Lincoln County share worn-out text books and schools trim elective offerings to buy specialized calculators and computers needed for tests.

Teachers in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Gaston County often give up important planning time to tutor kids in math and reading for test preparation.

A school in Union County runs a year-round testing lab with money meant for computers and software. Although it's impossible to put a precise price tag on what the testing costs in supplies and staff hours, teachers say the lack of support is a drain on the day-to-day education of students across North Carolina.

"The state paints a pretty picture about these tests, but they don't give us the resources we need to fund them," said teacher Cathy Keistler, president of the Classroom Teachers Association in Charlotte.

State education officials, however, say school districts are getting more money than ever to prepare students for the tests - $8 million more this year.

"I think funding these tests has been the state's top priority," said Jennifer Bennett, director of school business for the state Department of Public Instruction. "Schools are always going to need more money. How they choose to use their funds is a local decision."

Launched in 1997, the state's ABCs tests measure what students know and hold schools accountable for what they don't. The scores are used to determine the size of teacher bonuses and, in some grades, decide whether students advance.

In high school, state tests in math, writing, computer and other subjects consume up to 28 school days a year. That doesn't count dozens of practice tests.

Schools in South Carolina are just as strained. In Fort Mill, the district picks up the tab on tutoring and after-school programs to get students ready for the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test.

"I think in general terms what accountability has done is create more unfunded mandates for school districts," said Bob Ormseth, spokesman for the Fort Mill schools.

It's all part of a growing national focus on raising academic standards.

This year, North Carolina's tests will mean even more as fifth-graders have to pass the exams to move onto the sixth grade. About a third of the state's fifth-graders are in danger of failing. Next year third and eighth grades will be in the same boat.

As the stakes grow, so do the expenses. And educators say they want more teachers and staff to help administer the exams and money for test-prep supplies.

The state's Bennett says North Carolina already provides more money than ever for schools to hire more teachers and tutors, start after-school programs and buy supplies.

The Department of Public Instruction provided more than $39 million in "improvement accountability funds" this year to help students in danger of failing, up about $8 million last year, she said. From that, each district gets $220 for every student who scored below grade level on the exams.

Funding can vary widely from school to school.

For example, Rhyne Elementary, a 465-student school in Gaston County, got more than $48,000 for testing, while Belmont Central Elementary, with 645 students, received around $12,000.

The difference is 129 students at Rhyne scored below grade level compared with 49 students in Belmont. Rhyne also receives funds because it's considered "at risk," and serves a high percentage of poor students.

She added that the State Board of Education is making efforts to hire testing coordinators at schools. Right now, guidance counselors are shouldering testing duties, which involve scheduling practice tests, scanning answer sheets and attending lots of meetings.

But teachers in the trenches say that as schools shovel more time and resources into testing, that takes away from other educational opportunities.

Money once spent on software and classroom libraries in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools is now spent on testing booklets and after-school tutoring for students either below average or barely passing, Keistler said.

"A mass majority of the students don't benefit from the money," said Keistler, a teacher at Nathaniel Alexander Elementary in Charlotte. "Your overall achievement is suffering - especially kids on grade level. They are pushed to the side so we can focus on kids" who are below grade level.

Keistler is all for helping struggling students do better, but she questions whether training them to take a test is the best way to improve a child's education.

Lincoln County educators said the tests are forcing districts - already financially stretched - to make tough choices.

High-end graphing calculators, priced at $100 each, have cost Lincolnton High School $21,000 in the past three years. "We could use another 200, but we don't have the $20,000 to buy them," said Principal Rhonda Hager. "Almost every state math test requires them."

According to Lincoln Superintendent Martin Eaddy, "The state put in place a computer competency test at a time when the county didn't have computers. Over the last few years, we've had to invest in technology and software to help students pass."

Schools in Lincoln County limit elective offerings so they can hire teachers to help students pass tests.

In Gaston, teachers are forfeiting planning hours to proctor tests and complete mountains of testing paperwork. "It will consume everything in sight if we're not careful," said Bob Wilkerson, principal of Ashbrook High School in Gaston.

Rose Burns, principal of Monroe Middle School in Union County, said there's another cost you can't measure with a balance sheet.

Students are often yanked from art, music and Spanish classes to sharpen math and reading skills in the school's test-prep lab. Others get pulled from social studies to hone their computer competency for the state test. They've also stopped taking kids on field trips around testing time.

"The test is at the center of everything we do," she said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Eric Smith said the district couldn't expand the Bright Beginnings pre-kindergarten program and had to hold off on raises for non-teaching personnel. Instead, they had to spend local money on testing programs and add teachers to reduce class sizes and increase test scores.

"We've decided here in Mecklenburg County that increasing the number of teachers in high-poverty schools is important to us, so we have lowered the ratio," he said. In some cases, they have gym, music and art teachers tutoring students in math and reading for the test, according to staff.

Educators around the state question the increased emphasis on tests if the state isn't going to fully finance them.

"Not everyone comes to the table with the same resources," said N.C. Teacher of the Year Laura Bilbro-Berry, from Beaufort County, in the eastern part of the state. "You can only stretch the dollar so far."

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