From the first time I met it, as a junior in high school, I have disliked the practice of teaching to the test.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, I had learned to study all of the material presented, and be tested on whatever portion of that material teachers included on their tests. When standardized tests presented questions on material we had not studied, I didn’t panic. I had been taught thinking skills, and knew how to calculate answers based on what had been taught. I don’t recall ever hearing a Pennsylvania teacher promise — or threaten — that a given bit of information would “be on the test.”
At the beginning of my junior year in high school, however, my family moved to New York State, and I encountered the “New York State Regents Exams.” My very first week of school, I heard a teacher intone those solemn words, so familiar to students in that state, “This will be on the Regents exam.” I was shocked, and my shock grew as I heard such warnings repeated throughout the year. In addition to those warnings, our assignments frequently included working questions from past Regents exams. The clear message was, “Study to pass the exams. Don’t bother to learn everything. Just learn what will be on the exams.” Teachers’ jobs were at stake, no doubt, and they had to be sure we passed those dreaded exams. So they taught to the test. Anything that was not likely to be on the test was ignored, or passed over quickly.
Did I pass the exams? Yes. I dreaded them, and felt as though I wasn’t really learning, but I managed to keep my high grade point average.
A few years later, as I embarked on a teaching career, I made a decision. I would never, ever teach to the test. I decided it was my responsibility to teach all of the material to the maximum limits of my ability, whether or not that material would appear on a test. Period!
Now I try to convey the same message to other teachers, especially teachers of character. I wrote it into my free online course, Character Education 101: A teacher’s responsibility is to do his or her job as well as possible, regardless.
Character education is not on standardized tests in our country. As a result, it is considered light weight, and hardly worth time or effort. After all, a teacher shows his or her ability by getting students to pass the standardized tests. It would seem foolish to waste time on anything but the material that is on those tests.
It would, that is, if one’s primary goal was to keep one’s job. If, however, educators have the hearts of educators – if their true reason for entering the profession is to prepare children for useful lives in society – what then? Then teachers will fulfill their responsibility in character education as in every other course the curriculum offers. They will teach character education with every ounce of ability they possess!
I wish I could talk to every teacher about this. I wish I could address principals and supervisors. I wish I could convince them to give character education their all, even though it is not on the tests. If you know a teacher, maybe you could pass along the word for me.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?