I saw a news story tonight on a local school increasing ISTEP scores (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus). “Wow,” I thought, “That’s great!” Then they showed some children talking about how if they “just didn’t get it” they just kept going over their questions over and over again until they got it. The rest of the report showed kids drilling on problems. Rinse lather repeat – over and over on the same problems. Something clicked. We’re teaching kids ISTEP. Not *educating* them. Teaching them ISTEP. Watch out other countries – the next generation of Americans (somehow I’m betting it’s not just my glorious state of Indiana) will *STOMP* you in ISTEP. Forget about knowledge or life skills. Give us a memorized standardized test and we’ll kick your foreign free-thinking masses.
Here’s an ISTEP question for everybody.
ISTEP
Goosestep
Which one of these things is just like the other?
Quite right. That’s one of the main reasons I bowed out of teaching. Too much standardized testing, in which teachers cheated when they could and they taught to a test. Worse still, these standardized tests somewhat deterimine funding.
America has lawyers making these laws, but they don’t know jack about education.
Nice, “stomp” / step photo
I don’t know… I think it is just Indiana. Other states probably use a different test. 🙂
ISTEP is just Indiana. I’m just guessing other states have something similar (MichiganSTEP, OhioSTEP, OtherSillyName, u know, whatever). Hopefully better… but government / education-systems have a tendency to mirror each other in (lack of) quality issues IMHO.
MDH – I don’t think it’s lawyers causing the problems… That’s like saying guns kill people, people don’t kill people…
Cali has STAR testing…which is not completed. I am amazed at the expectations of the state due to the “No Child Left Behind” bill that is in effect. I have been working with my special needs kids and they even have a test they must take. VERY interesting questions. Very tedious work. A lot of time, stress, and money goes into the test that I never thought of as a previous ISTEP test taker.