Monday, March 12, 2007
Teaching to the Test
This week Pennsylvania public school students will take the state assessment exam, the PSSA. While student performance on standardized tests should provide taxpayers with a good understanding of their return on investment, those within the educational establishment downplay the test’s importance. Contrary to their protests, school districts often “teach to the test” in order to improve scores. This is most exemplified in the Pittsburgh Public School System through their restructuring of curriculum and programs to “tie classroom instruction to what’s tested on the PSSA.”
This year’s test is critical for the District as not only will the Superintendent’s reorganization be tested, but District students have fared so poorly on the exam over the last four years that they face penalties under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The Superintendent is predicting a “dip in scores” as faculty and students adjust to the new system. But how much of a “dip” can there possibly be? For the last four years the District’s eleventh grade students, those closest to joining the workforce, have demonstrated to be (at most) 40 percent proficient in math and (at most) 51 percent proficient in reading. That’s a very dismal performance given the large outlays state and local taxpayers have been bestowing on these students—as per pupil spending is more than $18,000 annually.
Teaching to the test is not a new phenomenon. Neither are the pep rallies and other motivational tools used by administrators to boost scores. However, there is no indication that these methods are meeting with success. Taxpayers pour millions of dollars into the Pittsburgh Public School System every year and yet results have been dismal, especially with those students closest to graduation. Whether or not the District’s new programs will improve results will be made clear shortly.
This year’s test is critical for the District as not only will the Superintendent’s reorganization be tested, but District students have fared so poorly on the exam over the last four years that they face penalties under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The Superintendent is predicting a “dip in scores” as faculty and students adjust to the new system. But how much of a “dip” can there possibly be? For the last four years the District’s eleventh grade students, those closest to joining the workforce, have demonstrated to be (at most) 40 percent proficient in math and (at most) 51 percent proficient in reading. That’s a very dismal performance given the large outlays state and local taxpayers have been bestowing on these students—as per pupil spending is more than $18,000 annually.
Teaching to the test is not a new phenomenon. Neither are the pep rallies and other motivational tools used by administrators to boost scores. However, there is no indication that these methods are meeting with success. Taxpayers pour millions of dollars into the Pittsburgh Public School System every year and yet results have been dismal, especially with those students closest to graduation. Whether or not the District’s new programs will improve results will be made clear shortly.
