More Than a Number

It is the middle of May. Spring is in full bloom. End-of-grade tests are just around the corner.

North Carolina, like many states, requires homeschooled students over the age of 7 to take a standardized achievement test each year. I don't actually have to turn in my results, but I do need to keep them in a safe place in case the Department of Public Instruction ever gets curious. I began complying with this bureaucratic requirement a few years ago, and while I like to think that I don't care what the outcome is, the sad truth is that I really do care. There is a part of me that wants to sit with a proctor and hear her say, "Your child's scores are amazing!" And the real clincher is that I get to take home a number that proves it.

You're Not in Kansas Anymore

We spent the afternoon picking strawberries with friends this past weekend. The topic of conversation got around to end-of-grade testing. We all remember taking various end-of-grade tests when we were children. The day before the test we would get a flyer to take home to our parents that would encourage a full night's sleep and a healthy breakfast.

Things have certainly changed. Instead of a day or two of test preparation and a recommendation of protein for breakfast, classroom teachers routinely treat the end-of-grade tests as the ultimate goal of a child's academic year. Most teachers dedicate a large part of their instructional time throughout the year to test-prep exercises and activities in anticipation of that fateful day. The time and attention is usually given to those who function below grade level, which can leave many bright children bored and unmotivated. It is a major success for a child who scored in the 58th percentile to move up to the 73rd, but there is not much motivation to get a child from the 85th percentile to the 92nd.

In our community the test scores for each school are run on the first page of the newspaper. Parents who previously lamented the stress, pressure, and boredom that come with standardized testing wait with bated breath to find out where their child's school ranks in comparison with others in the district. Their zeal for test scores seems to be perpetuating the very problem they complain about.

All of the talk and focus on test scores obscures the fact that schools largely ignore child psychology and best teaching practices in a quest for percentile gains against the school down the street. What happened to encouraging children to love learning as a lifelong quest? Why is a test score now more important than the process of searching for knowledge and truth? Because I am using Moving Beyond the Page with my kids, I know that I am encouraging these lifelong skills.

Even most homeschoolers do not escape end-of-grade testing. What they can escape, however, is the value that their teacher (you) puts on the outcome.

What Do the Numbers Mean?

I like to see my children do well on standardized tests. On one hand I feel good because it validates the time and effort I have spent with them every day for the past 9 years. But more to the point, it gives me the idea that they will be successful in life. Although this is what we all want for our children, it is crucial to step back and look at what what the tests actually measure and, more importantly, what they do not measure.

Defining success is elusive, but outside of school and academia there is certainly more to success than remembering facts and figuring math problems. Creativity can play a huge role in a child's success in life, but more often than not it can also be the very talent that keeps her from performing well in both school and on end-of-grade tests. What about a willingness to take risks? Some researchers point to this trait as the most important indicator of future success. Not only is this not measured by a test, but is usually discouraged in an environment that values test scores over the process of learning. What about a student with sound judgment (critical thinking skills) and a good work ethic? Certainly these are requirements for success in most any field, but they are not measured by the test. Persistence is another important trait that is crucial for success. Success in life can come in a variety of different ways, but standardized tests will only measure a small part of what is needed for future success.

It is easy to put too much value behind a test score, but nurturing our children to meet their full potential is certainly more difficult and more multi-faceted than just making sure they do well on a multiple-choice test. What I do feel good about is that Moving Beyond the Page helps my children foster their critical thinking skills, solve problems creatively, persist through challenging activities and projects, and take risks by coming up with new ideas and trying new things.

A Part of Life

There are certainly times when a standardized test can be important. Testing does a great job identifying many (but not all) underperforming gifted students. I know a third grade teacher who was floored at the end of the year to find that a very average student in her class had the best test scores. This child's fourth grade teacher will have the benefit of knowing this up front -- thanks to a standardized test. As a parent, you should have a better feel for your child's ability level, but sometimes tests can help you to understand whether your child is reaching her potential.

Even if you don't personally need the standardized test, your child will still be judged by standardized tests at some point in the future. She does need to know how to take them. These tests can have a significant impact on her future school choices and even her career. Here are a couple ways that I prepare my son for the standardized test. About a week before the test I buy a cheap practice workbook so that he is familiar with the types of questions to be asked (and knows how to fill in a bubble). I give my son a good night's sleep and bacon and eggs for breakfast. A colleague of mine tells her gifted children, "Do not think on the test." Gifted children tend to miss questions because they overanalyze them. This year on his standardized test my son insisted that the moon was not in the sky because it was outside of the atmosphere.

Other than the week of the test, we spend our instructional time exploring amazing literature, conducting interesting science experiments, and following the lives of people throughout history, many of the same types of activities that unfortunately schoolchildren are missing out on because of high-stakes testing. As a parent, I am responsible for my children's overall development, not just their test scores.

Successful in Life

Moving Beyond the Page is based on state and national standards, so we do teach the material covered by the end-of-grade tests. The curriculum is designed, however, to maximize skills that will benefit children for a lifetime. We don't sacrifice education to teach to a test. Anecdotal evidence from many parents has been overwhelmingly positive concerning test scores with most students testing above grade level. Children with a solid educational background tend to perform fine on standardized tests with very little preparation. Regardless of a test score, I know that any adult who talks with a child using Moving Beyond the Page will be amazed at the child’s depth and breadth of knowledge. This is a child who will:

• Know how to organize a project and follow it through to completion,
• Come up with creative solutions to problems,
• Have a strong vocabulary,
• Be able to think critically about issues, and
• Enjoy learning and discovery.

This is a child who will be successful in life, and for me, that is more important than any test score.