To meet testing standards

As I read the letter to the editor from William J. Murphy (“MEA wrong for Maine”) in the Oct. 15-16 issue of the Bangor Daily News, I was moved by the incredible frustration that this experienced teacher is feeling regarding the focus on standardized testing in our schools today.

By his account, the focus on the Maine Educational Assessment test has not improved the curriculum at his school, made him a better teacher or made his students more knowledgeable. He goes on to note that the test has added to the “sense of irrelevance” that many students feel regarding school.

Undoubtedly, these comments resonate with classroom teachers around the state. Being forced into a curriculum that “teaches to the test” and leaves little room for creativity and imagination must be extraordinarily dispiriting for teachers who have a passion for their work and a desire to provide the very best education for their students.

It is easy to place the blame for all this on the well-intentioned but awkwardly implemented No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, or even on the state’s earlier efforts to develop the Maine Learning Results. It is harder, however, to argue with the goals of this legislation: every child, no matter where he or she lives or attends school, should be assured of an education that meets basic expectations for quality.

Faced then with the reality that some form of standardized assessment testing will continue for the foreseeable future, the challenge is for school systems to take a look at the curriculum and consider how to prepare children to succeed on these tests and, at the same time, prepare them to succeed in life. In the rush to “make the grade,” and avoid being labeled as a “low-performing” school or school system, it is essential to avoid the unintended consequences of developing a generation of skilled test takers at the expense of imagination, creativity and inspiration.

As a former high school English teacher, I know that I was at my best when I was given the room to be creative in my teaching approach, develop my own assignments and pace the education to meet the unique abilities of my students. I was at my worst when all flexibility was removed, when I was required to teach a specific book, cover specific chapters by a testing deadline, or present required materials that appeared to be a rehearsal for a standardized test rather than a real learning experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not promoting a return to the days of an open curriculum and the scores of electives that left many children of the ’70s with gaping holes in their educations. Instead, I’m calling for real leadership within our school systems. In particular, it is time for the schools that have measured up to the standards of NCLB and the Maine Learning Results to set their sights on achieving a loftier goal: putting creativity and imagination back into the curriculum and still earning passing grades for their schools. Rather than get caught up in a quiet competition with other communities to see which school system can post the highest scores, school committees need to figure out how they can measure and reward real excellence in teaching.

Reshaping the curriculum to emphasize the value of creativity and imagination will not be easy. It is easier to quantify teaching performance based upon test scores than it is to try to measure “inspirational teaching,” yet we know it when we see it. School systems should turn to their inspirational teachers for help in developing a curriculum that can inspire our children and still help them earn passing grades on the standardized assessment tests. Schools that can achieve this balance will ultimately define excellence in education.

Most of us remember seeing a caterpillar turn into a cocoon and then miraculously become a butterfly inside a terrarium at the back of a classroom. The reality today, however, is that students are more likely to read about this metamorphosis in a book or in a series of worksheets that include questions posed in the same format as the MEA. Sure, they’ll be able to identify the parts of the butterfly in an illustration, but is that really enough? It’s not for most teachers. It’s not for most students, either.

Whether it is the MEA or the SAT, standardized assessment testing is not disappearing any time soon. The school systems that will prove to be real leaders will be those that can find a way to meet the testing standards and create an environment where the very best teachers will want to work: a classroom and school environment that lets them use their creativity to bring out the best in their students.

It is those inspirational teachers who are the best hope for the future of our children, our state and our nation.

Jeff Wahlstrom is a candidate for the Bangor School Committee.