BOARD ADOPTS RESOLUTION AGAINST OVERUSE OF STANDARDIZED TESTING by Eli Fisher

The Saratoga Springs Board of Education planned to adopt a resolution concerning overuse of standardized testing at its April 9th meeting, according to the agenda for that meeting. The resolution commends the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) an effort to align various state-level standards on a national level that has been adopted in every state except Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia (they were also adopted in the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories), and was adopted in New York in 2010. 

However, the resolution states that New York relies too much on standardized testing, saying "despite the fact that research recommends the use of multiple measures to gauge student performance and teacher effectiveness, the State’s growing reliance on standardized testing is adversely affecting students across all spectrums, the morale of our educators and further draining already scarce resources." The Times Union called the resolution a "highly unusual move for a school board.” Though the CCSS has been adopted by most states, New York is one of the first to remake tests based on it.

Additionally, the New York State United Teachers, a federation of local teachers' unions of which the Saratoga Springs Teachers Association is a member, has posted a petition on its website calling on the Board of Regents and State Education Department to end the "obsession with high-stakes, standardized tests." It says standardized tests should not be used as "a hammer to crush critical thinking and creativity." As of April 9th, the petition already had nearly 10,000 signatures. It particularly focuses on what NYSUT considers the rushed implementation of the Common Core Standards, but extends to all such tests.

Karen Swift, a high school math teacher and president of the Saratoga Springs Teachers Association, said the problem teachers have with tests is not the use of them,but the over-reliance on them for evaluating teachers and students, which she says causes teachers to teach students "how to take the test."

"The current tests [this year] are based on a curriculum that no one has yet been able to teach," said Swift. She described the resolution passed by the BOE as "awesome." Swift noted that much of the problems with testing come in the lower grades, not high school, where Regents exams by subject replace yearly achievement tests. "Students learn in different ways, but tests are just one way to evaluate them."she said. In an April 14 article in The New York Times, Kyle Spencer wrote, "this year’s tests ... are unlike any exams the students have seen. They have been redesigned and are tougher. And they are likely to cover at least some material that has yet to make its way into the curriculum."

Additionally, a bill was introduced to the state assembly on April 10 called the the Truth About Testing Act. This bill would require the Education Department to conduct a study to determine the amount of time and money spent on testing in the 2012-13 school year. This bill is also supported by NYSUT. State education officials point out that everyone is taking the same tests, and schools, students, and teachers will be judged against one another. 

“Believe me, I relate to test anxiety. We can’t wait. We have to just jump into the deep end," said Merryl Tisch, Board of Regents Chancellor for the state.
According to the Times Union, some parents have wanted to opt their children out of the testing. 

Michael Piccirillo, Saratoga's Superintendent of Schools, said that “there is no provision in either state or federal statute or regulation which allows parents to have their child/children 'opt out' of the state testing program or for the district to 'excuse' a student from the testing...Student participation and performance have a direct impact on funding, program development, planning and use of district resources."

In addition to the Common Core, new "Student Learning Objectives" require pre-and post-assessments in every class, which is a major change for classes like orchestra and P.E. 

"A lot of it is music theory; it doesn’t apply to your instrument…. I wish (the test) was more playing, but it’s not," said Symphonic Orchestra member Sara O'Farrell, in an earlier Lightning Rod article.