Kudos to Amy Prime ["The 'Opt Out Movement' Is Growing as Schools Test, Test, Test," Oct. 20] for raising important points about standardized testing. Too often teachers confuse assessments with evaluation. Project-based assessments based on the Common Core are a far cry from a bubble sheet and a one word answer to a question that often has more than one plausible response. Standardized testing is a "sort and sift" activity that often places students in a category that truly does not reflect the students' potential, their interests and motivation to engage in substantive learning.
School districts in Iowa are examining the Common Core carefully, and besides analyzing the standards, they are working to apply these standards using authentic assessments. How do students respond in writing, defending points of view? How can students persuade their peers with logical rebuttals to pertinent issues of the day? What can we learn from students who take the microphone in a public performance and share their poetry about personal problems and social justice?
It is a fallacy for teachers to look to one test and make judgments on students' abilities and placement for the next 180 days in a grade level. Curriculum, instruction and assessment need to be aligned to both students and standards. The student is at the center of education and it is the role of districts to examine carefully what are the best ways of preparing students to meet challenges and succeed intelligently and with confidence.
- Phyllis Staplin, Ed.D., West Des Moines