In the last week of October, the California Department of Education released the new Academic Performance Index (API) scores for school districts across the state. In B.U.S.D. 94% of our schools exceeded the growth target set by the state for the API. Three schools (Emerson, Jefferson, and Roosevelt) exceeded the state goal of 800, and the District average increased from 719 to 747. Burbank High School registered a 31 point gain for a new API of 702, while John Burroughs High School gained 44 points for a score of 714. We join with the School Board and administrative staff in congratulating the teachers and the students for their continued strong gains on these standardized state tests.
Since the tests were first mandated in 1998, and the API was established in 1999, Burbank schools have shown consistent gains in all tested areas. Importantly, these gains are primarily the result of teachers determining what changes were needed in instruction in order for students to have the information and test taking skills they needed to achieve higher test scores. The pressure to achieve high test scores has been enormous, both across the state and in Burbank. Teachers, support staff, and schools have been offered cash performance awards for increased test scores, and schools that have failed to achieve their targets have faced punitive sanctions which included reassignment of teachers and the principal. Principals of underperforming schools have also been required to go before a public meeting to explain their school’s failure.
While standardized tests are one measure of education excellence, they fall far short of telling the whole story about our schools, our instructional programs, and the quality of our teachers. We urge every stakeholder in our public schools to resist the seduction of rising test scores (and the resulting mountains of data they produce) and heed the advice of our Superintendent, Dr. Greg Bowman at the October 16 Board of Education meeting. In commenting on the favorable results of the initial testing of Burbank students on the California High School Exit Exam, Dr. Bowman reminded everyone of the importance of looking at everything the district is doing to create excellent schools, not just at test scores. He suggested that the district’s Strategic Master Plan reflects the true depth and complexity of the district’s education programs, apart from test scores. We would like to elaborate on Dr. Bowman’s comments by reminding everyone what standardized tests do not measure.
- They do not measure student character — perseverance, honesty, and integrity.
– They do not measure citizenship, patriotism, or even a fundamental grasp of principles of democracy.
– They do not measure higher level thinking skills — synthesis, analysis, and evaluation.
– They do not measure any skills relating to the fine arts — music, drama, and art.
– They do not measure physical fitness or physical education programs.
– They do not measure a student’s sense of social responsibility.
– They do not measure a student’s understanding of history.
– Due to state budget cuts, they no longer measure a student’s knowledge of science.
– They do not measure teacher professionalism and dedication to giving students a strong sense of self reliance and self confidence.
As educators, parents, and community members, we cannot afford to fall in love with test scores to the exclusion of the other components we all know add up to excellence in education. We cannot afford to be seduced by the apparent simplicity of objective test data. We cannot afford to be brainwashed into believing that education can be boiled down to data-driven decision making.
We must continue to ask what is not being tested and what is being sacrificed in the classroom in the pursuit of raising standardized test scores. Any teacher will tell you that there is a price to pay in instructional programs for raising test scores. While we may not literally teach to the test, we most certainly teach to the testable content standards and exclude curricula that we know will not be tested. Time is limited and the stakes are too high to do otherwise.
With the new onslaught of federal No Child Left Behind testing requirements, there is the real danger that excessive testing will get worse before it gets better. It is time for all public education stakeholders to ask when enough is enough. It is time for everyone in the education community — teachers, administrators, support professionals, and school board members to speak with one voice about establishing budget priorities for creating programs for excellence in education.
A highly politicized U.S. Department of Education does not know best about educating our kids. State and federal elected representatives do not know best about educating our kids. Educators know best about educating our kids, and it’s time we let the politicians and bureaucrats hear our collective voice.