This week, all of my 8th graders are taking the state-mandated, locally-developed technology proficiency exam. The results (pass/fail) are reported back to the state. No, I don’t know why they want those results, especially since they just eliminated the required technology class from high school graduation requirements. The test itself is an assessment of everything students have learned (cumulatively) regarding technology and is supposed to be based on the 2007 NETS-S.
So what do you do when there are test questions about topics that local policy doesn’t (directly) allow you to teach? What about the use of specific programs? When I read the NETS-S (and I double-checked myself as they were taking the test today) I don’t see anything in there about “Where would you click in Internet Explorer to bookmark a website?” Not to mention that the test assumes IE6 and we don’t use IE at all in class, instead opting for Chrome or Firefox (though students are allowed to choose which browser they prefer). Then there’s the issue of productivity software. Many of the test questions deal with finding the appropriate place to click to perform certain tasks in certain pieces of software (such as “Where would you click first to begin the process of inserting a chart?”) Notice the questions don’t allow for keyboard shortcuts, which are generally the same across programs, nor right-clicks, which most of my students use daily.
As educators, we all know that the assessment must match the instruction. With the introduction of standardized testing (and standards-based testing) we have put the horse in front of the cart. If this test were like my state-mandated standardized test that everyone is so quick to tie teacher performance to, there is zero chance of me spending any time in Open Office, Google/Zoho Docs, Firefox, Chrome, etc. Instead, I would exclusively use the specific pieces of software that would be on the test, regardless of form, function, or feature. (Yes, I am arguing that these tests are killing creativity, innovation, and true teaching.)
Extrapolate out my dilemma(s) to the other areas and you can quickly see why I don’t teach a content area any more (ex-6th grade math teacher). Instead of actually teaching and providing students with a variety of learning environments where they must think critically and develop a better understanding of the world around them, instead we must drill down and only cover the material to be tested, rather than testing over what was covered.
