To Opt or Not Opt Out?

Anyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite pastimes is perusing the web! Facebook has been a longtime love of mine for a variety of reasons. But, in the past year, I have come to appreciate Twitter, my new PLN (Professional Learning Network), reading articles on line and much more to expand my knowledge and thinking in my profession! Many of my PLN friends blog about new tools, ideas and initiatives in education. Some blog to reflect or make us think. So, I decided to give it a try tonight because I have been reflecting a lot on all of the attention given to the new movement to opt students out of exams.

I came across this information in an on-line article and thought it worth sharing:

"What distinctions do you make between "testing" and "assessment"?

Our line of argument is that testing is a small part of assessment. It needs to be part of the picture. Many people who are anti-testing end up sounding anti-evaluation and anti-measurement. A good test has a role to play. The language that we like to use is, it's an audit. It's a snapshot. You don't run your business for the audit. You want more than a snapshot, you want a whole family album. But the audit and the snapshot have a place in the larger picture." (http://www.edutopia.org/grant-wiggins-assessment)

My son is a middle school student who asked me why I would not opt him out of testing like some of his friends' parents are choosing to do. My response was simple: go to school and do your best just like you do on any other test the rest of the year. We discussed why we take tests. Any assessment is a measure of what skills and content one has accrued. It gives the teacher good feedback on what you can do and what he/she can do to improve the learning. I reminded him that  New York State tests in grades 3-8 are NOT high stakes for him. However, the tests that he takes the rest of the year ARE important and require much preparation and encouragement to do his best. 
It was at that moment that I realized that ADULTS are causing all of the fanfare around testing, not students. If parents communicate that test day is like any other day and the tasks on the test will look much like all of the work that you do all year, the stress can be reduced and/or eliminated.
If WE, as EDUCATORS, simply ask students to do their best to show their learning, we minimize the so-called stress around the tests. As educators, it is a bit tougher than the parent role because the new APPR requires that the test scores become part of our evaluation. However, in most cases, it is just 20%! Most teacher evaluation plans still contain a majority of Principal/Administrator evaluation of teaching, just as it has in the past. Test scores are not the focus, not even the majority of our evaluations. It is a snapshot, just like it is for students.
I feel fortunate both as a mom and an educator. My son attends a school where testing has never been a cause of stress. The message is always to do your best. His teachers do a wonderful job teaching, not focusing on test preparation.
I also work in a great building where last year's testing experience was student-centered for the best possible experience. We provided breakfast and pep talks. There were inspirational videos that reduced any anxiety. The positive message was  simply do your best. Our students did a great job.
So, my answer to my son: We, as parents, will not opt you out of testing because it is part of the learning process. We are proud of you for meeting any challenge, big or small, that you face with your best effort. Opting out of activities simply because we do not like them is not an option in our family!
The opt out question was just another great reminder to me, as a mom and a teacher, that our children take their cues from us. We must speak and act in a way that promotes a healthy childhood and a path for growth into strong, capable and independent adults. I know that my son is well on his way on that path!

THE VIEWS IN THIS BLOG ARE MY OWN and do not represent any institution or organization.