Test scores aren't the end-all

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	• Beyond The Standards Movement: Defending Quality Education in an Age of Test Scores [VHS] Alfie Kohn National Professional Resources, Inc., 2000 average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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Beyond the Standards Movement

Alfie Kohn raises some very interesting points about standardized testing in our school systems. He argues that our kids do not think critically because teachers "cover" material instead of take an in depth look. Alfie Kohn claims that students need to exhibit learning like in the real world. As a teacher, I think that part of my student's real world is school. Is it possible for teachers to extend the students learning into their home life as well? As I look around at our schools, I see that many schools are becoming "test preparation centers" due to standardized testing. Alfie Kohn argues against our schools becoming "test prep centers" with teachers who are worried about raising test scores. If you are interested about learning more against standardized testing, then this video is for you.

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A Standardize Review

Currently there is a slow food movement in response to the fast food movement. It is thought that because the same hamburger sells in Los Angles and in Moscow demonstrates it's supremely decontextualized nature. With slow food judgment, finesse, tradition and ambience all have a part to play, since the taste of food on the palate is just as importnt as a full stomach. Maurice Holt calls for a similar backlash against "fast schools."

I viewed Alfie Kohns video a day or two after reading Maurice Holts article "It's time to start the slow school movement." For me it really tied all things together, it went in depth about the effects of standarized testing on our students. Kohn discusses how "test prep" is killing a students desier to learn. WIth standarized testing we "drilling and killing" are students with usless facts and not allowing for aha moments. Alfie Kohns video calls for orderly and unimaginative school systems who excel at prodcing "standard" kids with minimal in dept knowledge turn to schools that that produce the problem solvers and innovators of the future.

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Standardized Testing

Alfie Kohn touched on some very critical issues that students, parents, and educators face within the public education system. The pressures placed on us from standardized tests takes away from the excitement and fulfillment of learning and teaching. I agree with Kohn that the "list of facts" students must retain for testing tends to lead to the worst kind of instruction. There is so much information "krammed" into the students that they do not retain the information in the long run. With standardized tests, Kohn stated that students cannot explain their reasoning behind their choice of answers. This rings true for many teachers. They create assessments where students demonstrate their knowledge of the standards, however standardized tests do not always measure this. As a result, schools, such as the one I teach at are ranked as a failing schools, causing schools to compete with one another rather than support each other. Overall, the video was very inspiring especially when we realize that the strength of America is diversity, yet standardized testing does not embrace any sort of diversity/diverse learning among our students.

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Test scores aren't the end-all

During a period of time in the school year when students are taking standardized tests, the points made on this video seem all too true. There are definite risks to overemphasizing achievement. The students and teachers should be focused more on the learning rather than the performance. When the results of tests are so emphasized, there are risks involved. Students end up being less interested in their learning, they become preocupied with their ability, they prefer easy tasks, they become devastated when they don't perform well, and the quality of their learning declines.
Ideally, we should be able to evaluate students in a variety of ways. I agree that there is too much emphasis on test scores, but in an age of No Child Left Behind, what can we do?

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Standardized Testing

Aflie Kohn is a strong opponent of standardized tests and the pressures they are putting on schools, parents and students. He argues they are a more accurate measure of socioeconomic status than student knowledge. I agree with Kohn that too much value is placed on testing results. Now teachers tailor their instruction to teach exactly what the test assesses. Electives and enriching projects are eliminated in order to teach students meaningless facts. This video makes many valid points for eliminating standardized testing. He urges educators to take a stand. Hopefully it will make an impact on the future of student assessment.

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Teachers and administrators will learn that a preoccupation with raising standards may have exactly the opposite effect. Alfie Kohn, nationally-renowned lecturer and author, offers a powerful argument against the obsession with standardized tests and the tendency to place so much emphasis on student performance that the process of learning becomes endangered. Instead of motivating students to learn and teachers to excel, it will create a system drive by coercion, a fear of failure, and unrelenting competition between students, teachers, and schools, all of which undermine excellence.

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