It’s about time for PSSA testing.
So, for the next round of Q&A in our feature looking at parents’ thoughts on education issues, I decided to ask about testing. Let me know your opinion in the comments!
What weight do you place on standardized testing? Do you pay attention only to your child’s scores, or how your child’s school fares as a whole?
“We place very little “weight” on the standardized testing being administered in PA. The tests are not nationally normed and they cover very narrow skill sets. If your schools’ scores are low that is a warning sign that the staff will be under pressure to constrict curriculum in order to repeatedly cover the material that will appear on the tests.” — Steve Schueneman, daughter in second grade at York Academy Regional Charter School, son in fourth grade and daughter in sixth grade at PA Cyber.
“As a homeschool mother, who has also administered a couple of types of standardized tests, I am aware that students may know the material they are being tested on but will often still miss these questions. The tests ask questions in a way that, unless the student has been ‘taught to the test,’ the way to answer a question can be confusing. The only value I see in testing is the preparation testing gives for students to take the SAT.” — Kathy L. Mokris, son in seventh grade
“I pay attention to both my child’s scores and the school’s overall scores. Both are important, but in the larger scheme of things, I think the schools spend too much time teaching to the test, and less on teaching students how to think for themselves. And my child’s grades are more important than the standardized tests, because those tests are taken over just a few days rather than a whole year.” — Anne Fonda, daughter in sixth grade in Central York School District, daughter in IB program at United World College of the American West, New Mexico
“I put some weight in the tests but not a lot because I am not convinced the tests are asking the right questions or capture critical thinking. My experience (especially in English) is that the tests dampen creativity because the teachers are focusing on making sure the kids can give the answers the test is expecting. I look at the scores and where my kids stack up overall. With respect to the school it has limited value because the tests don’t take into account many variables. For instance they don’t look at home environment, IQ, motivation, and student turnover. Unlike the manufacturing of a motorcycle with set parts that need to be assembled and productivity can easily be measured, any of the variables above can have a huge impact on the result regardless of the teachers skills in education.” — Kevin Hodge, students in Dallastown Area School District
“I do not place any of my focus as a parent on standardized tests. The school district places plenty of pressure on the kids and I don’t need to add to any of that. My third grader shared her fears weeks ago and my fifth grader dreads them. It’s one test on one given day. Yes, I do look at my children’s scores along with the district ratings, but given that I don’t plan to move to a new district based on those scores, they don’t have any great (effect) on my opinion of my children’s education.” — Jill Euclide, children in Northeastern School District
“Generally, I support standardized testing – when the test actually measures relevant skills and improvement. Unfortunately, the PSSAs don’t fall into either category (I’ll reserve judgement on the Keystone Exams until there is more information, but they at least seem to attempt to test mastery of the subject). The Dallastown Area School District, where two of my three children still attend, places too much emphasis on test preparation and not enough on actual content mastery. The emphasis extends down to the elementary schools which have, in the past, assigned online programs like Study Island as homework for elementary students. When I questioned the school on this assignment, no one could actually point to any research that demonstrated the use of this type of ‘study aid’ in any way improved either understanding or test scores. … Additionally, this over-emphasis on the ‘importance’ of success on the PSSA is clearly communicated to the kids and creates anxiety to do well and not let the school down. I have had to actually tell all three of my children that this testing (unlike the SAT or ACT for college) isn’t critical to their future success and to stop worrying about the test or the results. While I monitor my children’s testing, I make sure they understand that these tests really are not about either their achievement or the overall success of the school in educating students.” — Steve Douglas, children in Dallastown Area School District
“I wouldn’t pay too much attention to an individual score as I think there are a lot of factors that can effect the outcome of the this test, just like any other test. But I do think that on a large scale they are good for getting a benchmark and are good for analysis purposes.”- Joe Stein, son in kindergarten at St. Patrick School.*
Last time: Previously, I asked parents for their thoughts on school safety.
*This post was updated to correct the school where Stein’s son attends.
