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Is Indiana’s school testing program on the right track?
Once again we find ourselves in another mess about testing.
While the name of the test may change—what once was ISTEP is now ILEARN—the problems remain the same.
In response to the less than stunning news that the scores from the initial ILEARN test have shown alarming drops from previous tests, the governor and his Republican leaders in the Legislature have called for lawmakers to hold schools harmless from potential sanctions that could have been imposed under accountability standards already in place.
I support this “hold harmless” effort, but it misses the issue that needs to be discussed: the value of testing in determining the quality of a child’s education.
Consider that the results of this test help determine whether a child’s school gets a grade that could subject it to potential state intervention or takeover. Test results determine how a teacher’s performance is evaluated and how that teacher is paid.
Now consider that, in the past decade, there have been a half dozen changes made to the test and the standards that are judged on the test. Considering that spotty record, it’s apparent that the only true beneficiaries of this boondoggle are the testing companies.
This is all too typical of education policies formulated by Republicans in recent years that have resulted in poor pay for teachers, underfunded public schools and millions of dollars thrown at unaccountable programs like virtual charter schools.
Why should a single test taken by, among others, third graders across Indiana, have this much power in guiding education policy? A test should be used as a tool for parents and teachers to see how a child is progressing in school and help determine the best way to help that child reach his or her potential. When you place so much importance on a test, you place too much pressure on children and you force teachers to spend their time on preparing for the test and nothing else.
What is needed from the Legislature is not just holding schools harmless from a broken testing system, but a renewed debate over the meaning of accountability in our state’s schools.
There is a substantial segment of the Indiana General Assembly that holds the belief that our schools are factories that can churn out young people with all the same skills and abilities. But children are not widgets. No two are alike, and there is nothing we can do to force them all to be the same. What we can do is recognize that each child has special skills and abilities and our schools should help them explore those talents.
Above all, what is needed is a belief that we should be working on education policies that set our schools, teachers and students up for success. Failure should not be an option.•
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GiaQuinta, a Democrat from Fort Wayne, is the minority leader in the Indiana House. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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That was the most concise, logical, and practical article on public education I have read in a very long time. Common sense is sorely lacking in the policies that dictate how our children are taught and our schools are run. But what else can we expect when politicians, who are not experts, are running the show. I fear it will only get worse in the future. Too much power in the hands of the few will create more problems than solutions for our state.