A Teacher’s View:

Abundance of testing leading to exhaustion

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 | 4:31 p.m.

Rene Hill

As the emphasis on testing students to find how they have progressed over the years continues, an interesting trend in the reading scores for middle and high school students has emerged. In the last 30 years the state has been administering a proficiency exam, there has been very little measurable increase in achievement.

When I saw this statistic at a recent literacy workshop that I attended, I was amazed. Why, with all the current stress in data-driven teaching methods and extra emphasis on reading and writing, do we see no real growth in our students' abilities over the years?

When one looks at the numbers, there have been some years when reading scores have declined. The declines are mainly in schools that are located in less affluent areas, but a few are not.

It is easy to point fingers of blame, but that won't help our students. If we look at the whole picture, we are all doing what we can for our students. Why, then, the lack of growth?

The teachers I work with say many of their students are so worn out by the barrage of tests we are required to administer, that many of them just guess at the answers without giving any real thought to what is expected. This year alone, I have had to give nine different standardized tests to measure my students' reading abilities. They always ask the same question each time a test is given. "Does this count for a grade?"

Is it possible the lack of "measured" growth over the years is due to the exhaustion we have created with the whole testing craze?

Now that we are seeing the results, or lack thereof with all of the testing, maybe we can tell the multimillion-dollar testing industry that has sprung up as a result of all this testing that their services are no longer necessary. We might be seeing that what our students need is one less standardized test and more relevant education.

Rene Hill is an English teacher in the Clark County School District. She can be reached c/o The News, 2275 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074 or editor@hbcpub.com.

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