TEST IS BECOMING A FOUR-LETTER WORD

Students in England taking the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), a testing process that has generated issues much like the USA's NCLB.

What's wrong with this picture?

I see a symbolic illustration of how an obsession with testing has changed not only how we measure what happens in schools but it is also a yardstick of what's really happening in schools. And what's happening is simply depressing  to consider if you care about the future of schooling, as it is becoming, from my view, a testy situation--pun intended!

Sadly, the idea of taking a test is an innocent enough concept and, in fact, an important concept. A test does not have to be thought of as a pejorative word; it does not have to be thought of as a nasty four-letter word. In fact practically everyone wants tests---we want our airline pilots to have passed lots of tests, we expect our surgeons to have done well on  all of their tests, our teachers need to be certified, we believe that medicines should be tested before they receive approval for distribution, we want to take a test-drive before we buy a new car, consumers want products tested before they buy them, when there's a health concern diagnostic tests can be lifesavers for humans and for our family pets, and then there's the white-gloves test to see if the house if ready for company.

In schools we have always had tests, some better than others, but despite a few bad experiences we have never thought of tests in quite the same way as we do today. A random review of blogs about testing found these very representative comments:

from a mom: "I think this whole test business is awful. I remember going on field trips and doing fun science lessons when I was in elementary school. I would not have the love of reading I have today if I had to take all those tests instead."

from a dad: "Too much testing and not enough learning. We need to come together and find a better way to make sure our kids are succeeding. Speak out!"

from a teacher: "Rather than holding teachers accountable for student progress and improvement over time, this legislation (a new teacher performance system in NY) dictates that students and teachers, out of an entire school year, will be judged by a few hours of a no.2 pencil scratching."

And Califonia Governor Brown recently delivered an interesting one-liner in the context of criticizing a piece of testing related legislation, "Adding more speedometers to a broken car won't turn it into a high-performance machine."

A fascinating piece from the Educational Testing Service in 1999, "Too Much Testing" is worth a visit, even though it was written over a dozen years ago. You can download the full report at ets.org.

It has clearly withstood the test of time!

HOLIDAYS ARE A GREAT TIME TO REMEMBER WHAT'S IMPORTANT

I always think about this message from the late, great comedian and sometime philosopher, George Carlin; it has been a few years since he wrote this, but much of it seems to still ring true...see if you agree:



The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrow viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more knowledge, but less judgement, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not how to make a life. We've added years to life, but not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but we have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not our inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things...

Remember, spend time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember to say "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend a hurt when it comes from deep inside you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

      Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
           but by the moments that take our breath away.