Am i the only one who believes that the educational prison is teaching to the state tests?

Question

Are our schools teaching to the standard tests that the states have us take? I mean instead of learning of the past wars and treaties signed in history class, we have to take math tests... Anyone else see the problem developing? In Chicago, there was a school that took away all of their extra curriculars , so there students could focus on the basics: math, science, and english. Are we creating robots? Test take away the most important things that we need in real life: creativity, imagination, and the ability to communicate..filling in circles? what does that prove? input please.

Are our schools teaching to the standard tests that the states have us take? I mean instead of learning of the past wars and treaties signed in history class, we have to take math tests... Anyone else see the problem developing? In Chicago, there was a school that took away all of their extra curriculars , so there students could focus on the basics: math, science, and english. Are we creating robots? Test take away the most important things that we need in real life: creativity, imagination, and the ability to communicate..filling in circles? what does that prove? furthermore, in order to get funding the school has to meet state standards. The way i see it, it looks as if the schools who qualify for state money already have enough to use to get better books and better teachers. So what happens to the schools that are can't afford better books or teachers? the state takes away their funding. How is that going to help them keep kids in school, and give them education?imput please.

Answer 1

In a way, testing has brought about a sense of accountability for the profession. HOWEVER, it has totally sucked the JOY out of teaching and learning!

Answer 2

You are not the only one.
There is nothing wrong about teaching to the test- schools are required to be accountable for certain basic skills and information. What is wrong is to limit teaching to those basic skills. Our desire to put a nice number on everything to say how well we are doing (compared to other countries and previous years) doesn't recognize that there are many things that we were doing very well that may not be that easy to measure.
The idea that everything can be / should be measured on standardized tests creates a very bleak (insulting) view of what education does. This attitude comes largely from the assumption that our schools were performing horribly and that teachers are lazy and incompetent. Therefore, we must tell them exactly what and how to teach and test their students constantly to hold them accountable (because we don't trust them).
Ironically, if you treat schools as if they are lazy incapable of more - they will start acting that way.
You shouldn't have gotten me started.

Answer 3

We live in Pa....and I was so sick of hearing about the PSSA by the second week of school I wrote a letter to the principals in my school district. And got educational blah blah blah back.

I understand a need to achieve and maintain a certain level of education in public and privet schools. I understand that they need to measure it by testing. What I don't understand and abhor is the fact that these tests are rammed down the children's throat from the first day of school to the last!! The whole school's curriculum is focused on the PSSA and nothing else. What a loss! What a waste of our teachers time, talent and education.

Schools that test below the set standard should NEVER have their funding cut. They should have "directors" placed into the school to help them achieve passing scores. These "directors" should be placed by the State's Department of Education. These people should help the school so that the students become successful by insuring that the students and teachers have what they NEED....textbooks, facilities, training and tutoring programs. Punishing schools for "poor performance" on progress tests by cutting funding is counterproductive. Not to mention STUPID.