This Way Lies Trouble

As I consider my possible future career as a high school English teacher in the United States, I have to say t gives me pause when I remember how much focus is placed on test results.

I am well aware of the stronger and stronger push toward standardized testing to evaluate students' progress. And now No Child Left Behind ties federal money given to public schools into performance on standardized tests.

Now more and more teacher job performance is being tied into test results. And not just teachers, but administrators as well. I can't imagine the frustration of wanting to actually teach kids something and find that you spend at least half the year simply teaching them how to take a test. It's hardly surprising, then, to read this article about teachers and administrators cheating and helping students cheat to achieve higher scores.


This was how it was in my student days in New York. When I was in high school, I believe New York State was the only state left that had Regent's exams. In 9th grade biology, 10th grade chemistry and 11th grade physics I had grades throughout the year of high 70s, high 70s/low 80s and low 80s, respectively. On the Regent's exams in those three subjects I scored 86, 85 and 90. I did this by spending the week before the exam systematically studying the Regent's review book and taking every practice exam available to me. I learned how to take the test. I didn't actually learn the subjects.

So this is what happens in U.S. education now. We're preparing a generation of people who will be capable of responding to set questions with little ability for complex and comprehensive thought, no chance for abstract thinking and problem solving. Those are the skills that lead to innovation. We're setting up our country to be a country of multiple choice. Somewhere out there is a teenager right now who will be president in about 35 or 40 years. Also most of his cabinet members and close advisers are teens now, too. When those people are faced with an economic crisis, or an international threat or a humanitarian disaster they're not going to get a multiple choice question. There won't be a bubble answer sheet to fill in. They'll be required to use their non-existent creative thinking skills.

Are there really no educational theorists in the Department of Education who recognize these problems? Is there no one with the courage to speak up and catch the ear of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and tell him that this is just plain wrong.

We do not want to create a generation of people who can tell you everything there is to know about the themes and symbols in Ethan Frome without being able to tell you what it means.