This is a test

How do we know our water wheel works?  Test it.

I've been thinking a lot about testing.  The standardized test controversy is a big thing in the news so I have been thinking about the tests that come in life and what form they take.

For standard-type tests, there are the drivers license test and the SAT's when we are in high school, and depending on the profession people go into, there could be licensing tests, like medical or architects' boards.  Most of life's tests are not the fill-in-the-bubble kind though.  As an adult, the tests most of us encounter are way different.

There is the test when your 2-year-old is melting down in the supermarket, or your 15-year-old is sneaking beers in the basement with friends. There is the one when you are giving a party and you need to figure out how to feed 20 people and make sure they have fun, and it's raining and the grill just ran out of gas.  There is the test at work, when your team needs to give a presentation to persuade the client that your company will do the best job.  Or your company isn't doing as well as the competition, and you need to analyze why...that's a pretty big test.  Your lab is trying to figure out a cure for Parkinson's...Or it's April 12 and your taxes are due...or you want to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about the presidential race.

Educators (and regular people) can pretty much agree that there are certain things we want our kids to know cold: multiplication facts, when to use apostrophes, when to say "him and me" or "he and I" (tricky, right?) (and I'm kidding, because there is actually no consensus about these things).  But, it is probably good to test some things in some way, because sometimes studying for a test can actually be helpful in learning.

For the cooperative, judgement-based, creative-solution kind of problems, are standard-type tests the best way to measure achievement?  Is the time taken for standard-type tests worth it?  What are the learners (the kids) getting out of it?

So, these are the things I've been thinking about.  Here are some of the type of "tests" that seem useful to me and once kids take them, they actually have learned from them - they have learned some of the things that will help them when they encounter those other type of tests that I wrote about in the third paragraph.  Remember those?  I hope so, because there will be a test!

This team of 4-5's used the size of blades for the variable in their wind turbine tests, and analyzed the results.  They needed to understand good testing procedure, cooperate on every aspect, analyze results, and demonstrate their findings through a clear poster and an oral presentation.

Middle school kids are building a prototype boat and need to see if it will float with a bunch of pennies in it.  When they get a design that works, they will scale it and try it on the pond.

A customized education

Six- and 7-year-old children are active learners. They use all of their senses to learn in a variety of ways. Each child learns at their own pace. Play is their work. Using materials they can manipulate helps them think about how things work, use their imagination, and solve problems. They construct knowledge through their experiences.

In this Times Union article veteran teacher, Peter Rawitsch expresses frustration at the lack of time for science, social studies, exploration and play in his public school first grade class.  He feels that Common Core and testing pressures have pushed an inappropriate curriculum upon children and teachers alike.  

For expert teachers, the most effective way to teach is to get to know the learners in front of them and tailor the teaching/learning experiences accordingly.  We are lucky at Parker that we have small class size and the teacher:student ratio in our lower grades of between 1:4 and 1:8 for several hours each week.  The teachers know the children and their skill levels intimately.  This is an incredible luxury - and it is also why we can customize the learning to a wide range of learners.

In Finland, the most successful country in the world on international tests of reading and math, the schools have no grade level standards.  They just don't think that way.  Their model is based on the developmental timeline of each individual child - and by knowing each individual, teachers can customize  - not standardize - the learning.

The public school system in Finland is more like our private school system.  Each school is independent in its methods.  Within this autonomy teachers are respected professionals who make decisions about what students need and should learn each day.  In this way, Parker is much like Finland. Our students are successful not because of standardization, but because teachers have the freedom to customize the learning.   

Assessment at Parker

2-3 students give each other feedback about their Ganges River poems in a critique session. This form of peer-assessment gives students practice in critical thinking.

We had a great time at this morning's Coffee with Meg sponsored by Parent Council.  The topic was Parker Assessment vs Common Core Assessment.  One of our parents made this podcast of the conversation.  If you couldn't be there - take a listen!  https://archive.org/details/CoffeeWithMegCommonCore

Making the grade

Through observing, experimenting and problem-solving, our students work towards understanding of science and math.  We know what they learn by what they demonstrate, explain, write, and build.  A standardized score is not often our measurement.

Exceptions are the New York State Regents exams.  Passing these tests puts our students into a higher level of science and math in high school.  Not passing isn't a failure, it just means that the topic needs more time to be mastered, so the student will take algebra or earth science again in 9th grade.  Students have special study sessions to prepare for the exams and in earth science they also must complete a specific number of labs. 

Students' scores this year in earth science: 95 high; 67 low; average: 90.  In algebra: 99 high, 68 low; average: 82.  Great job, kids and teachers!

Making creates evidence of learning

In this excellent article in Slate by Dale Dougherty, Learning by Making he says "American kids should be building rockets and robots, not taking standardized tests...I see the power of engaging kids in science and technology through the practices of making and hands-on experiences."

He talks about John Dewey who founded the movement for progressive education that Parker subscribes to.  And he picks apart the myth that standardized tests measure learning.

Read the article and you will understand better the real power of the education here.  Our teaching philosophy coupled with an imbedded culture of positive community is what sets Parker apart.

When the kids own it

Children are SO motivated when they have ownership of their learning! You can see it in these photos of students building and programming their own robot, reading me their latest book, putting together an autobiography, and making a spaghetti lunch for the school.  You may have seen Caine's Arcade - if not, watch and you will smile.



Contrast all these with students' fear and trepidation during annual state testing that starts in 3rd grade: Kids' brains, nerves put to the test in the Times Union.

Rich curriculum = rich vocabulary

What does it mean when the average verbal SAT score is dropping, as has been reported recently? Demographic changes, sure.  More kids taking the test.  But thoughtful analysis shows it is actually the focus on memory and testing in elementary school, instead of on a content-rich curriculum. 

A savory, juicy, rich curriculum develops a big vocabulary - exactly what's needed for success on the SAT.  Seems simple doesn't it?  Read more in How to Stop the Drop in Verbal Scores from the NY Times.

Parenting is a relationship

Susan Engel's book just came out today: Red Flags or Red Herrings, Predicting Who Your Child Will Become.   Susan's positive message is that children are pretty much who they are.  Parents can have an influence in guiding them, but can't make their child into someone they're not.   Here she is on Good Morning America. "Parenting is not a job.  It's a relationship!" 

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/doctor-differs-tiger-mom-parenting-technique-12892864

Susan will be at Parker on March 23 as part of our Panel Discussion, Educating for 21st Century Success.

I have read her book and I think every parent can take something useful and reassuring from it.

Assessing a well-educated child

On March 23 we will be holding a panel discussion on Educating for 21stC Success.  One of the panelists is Susan Engel, professor of psychology and education at Williams College.  Here is her recent NY Times Op-Ed piece on more effective ways of measuring learning than the standardized ways.

Susan has written about play as a crucial element in learning and the importance of nurturing creativity - right up our alley.

 She describes the qualities of a "well educated child" - do you agree?

"...we should come up with assessments that truly measure the qualities of well-educated children: the ability to understand what they read; an interest in using books to gain knowledge; the capacity to know when a problem calls for mathematics and quantification; the agility to move from concrete examples to abstract principles and back again; the ability to think about a situation in several different ways; and a dynamic working knowledge of the society in which they live"

Assessing discovery

Discovering a caterpillar or a milkweed pod in the meadow - eating lunch outside with friends - families working  together on Work Days -  these are school experiences that make Parker a special place in the lives of students and families. 

At our opening faculty days we talked about assessment.  We know that Parker students are learning - but how do we know?  We use a variety of assessments at Parker - just not the standardized kind.  There are far more authentic and nourishing ways to find out what students know how to do. 

"When students are challenged with authentic questions that demand reflection and thought, they are happier, healthier, and better prepared for the rigors of college, work, and citizenship."  writes John Austin in the latest Independent School magazine.

To measure for 21C skills, we want to know that students can think skeptically about numbers; that they can make a persuasive and supported argument; and that they can interpret, compare, and analyze material.  These call for assessments that are creative and dynamic.

Of course, at the basic level, we need to know that students can add, spell, and read, and these can be measured simply.  But assessing for the more complex skills that Parker is geared for, requires much more of teachers.  This year teachers will be sharing with each other all the ways they assess students - and how they comunicate their findings to students and parents, and to the outside world. 

I will be holding a coffee for parents on this topic on October 26 from 8:30 - 9:15.  I hope you will be able to join me in a discussion about what good assessment looks like!

Bringing the mission into the classroom

There is a push-pull in our society between the standardized testing, standards-based culture and the belief that American children need creativity, communication, and entrepreneurial skills for real future success. In independent education circles the current conversation is about resisting the pull for test prep based learning and recognizing that excellence and rigor are found in rethinking a traditional curriculum.

At Parker, we never did buy into the idea that preparing for testing prepares students for life.

We now find ourselves at the forefront of what is being suggested by the National Association for Independent Schools (NAIS) and thoughtful education experts, that schools develop a project-based, relevant curriculum to prepare students for the 21st Century and a competitive, complex interconnected world.

Emily Jones, Head of Putney School, writes in the current NAIS magazine:

Schools that have freed themselves from the constraints of standardized testing have found that they have several critical advantages:

• They can teach creativity in all disciplines

• They can lengthen time horizons for assignments, using project based learning that is genuinely authentic

• They can teach decision -making and create a sense of agency and citizenship by having students approach real-world problems in real time

She goes on to say:

One thing that is clear from a study of these schools is that their students are doing serious intellectual work. There is nothing fluffy or "alternative" about these classes; in fact, they drive directly towards the goals articulated by the schools' mission statements and urged by educational leaders.

We will continue to bring our mission statement to the classroom in all the creative and rigorous ways we can through our rich and responsive program!


Photos: Independent reading, self-portraits, Pi Day, writing a letter "To Mom" in Pre K 4.