Annual STAR testing has begun at M-A

STAR Testing has already begun at M-A, eliciting a nearly unanimous groan from students. And, while few teachers would admit to openly celebrating the test’s arrival, most would agree that STAR tests can be beneficial. Still, most teachers are unafraid to point out the flaws in the system and acknowledge that standardized testing does have numerous faults.

English teacher Karl Losekoot is a supporter of the STAR Tests. While he warns that “you have to be cautious of spending too much time preparing for a test,” and that you shouldn’t “have test prep take over a course,” it can be helpful in focusing a class. “If you can look at the standards and the skills that the test is asking you to address and decide that those are good skills,” says Losekoot, “then you can weave those into your curriculum in a way that doesn’t make it test prep. Then I think that maybe the class becomes more focused.”

John Giambruno, also an English teacher, sees both good and bad in the tests. Giambruno admits that “there needs to be a way that we can be measured” but “it’s such a limited scope of what is being measured…that I think there should be another way to hold us accountable besides just one or two tests.” To improve the tests, Giambruno would like to see some sort of “holistic grading system” that had students submit a portfolio of work along with the standardized tests so that the students could be evaluated on a much broader and more complete level. Still, he isn’t worried about how the tests will make him look as a teacher, acknowledging, “my kids always do fine.”

Math teacher Manja McMills perceives inequalities in the tests. “I would say of the more affluent kids it’s a somewhat fair evaluation, but for the disadvantaged kids not as much, and for the teachers that teach those kids, it’s harder.” Math at M-A is heavily influenced by STAR Testing as kids who might not be ready for certain levels of math are sometimes forced into those classes anyways so that they can be prepared for the STAR Tests. “We put all these kids who aren’t ready into algebra 1 and then they take these tests that they are just going to fail anyways, and so that’s not good for their psyche.” To avoid penalizing both students and teachers for a student not being prepared to take a class, McMills proposes that students “test into these classes,” rather than being forced to take them to pass a standardized test.

All benefits and detriments considered, the tests are state mandated. Whether you want to or not, we have no choice but to accept the STAR Test and it’s consequences –– both good and bad.

Note from the editor: Mrs. McMills was incorrectly quoted as saying the tests are a good evaluation of more “fluent” students rather than “affluent”. The mistake has been corrected and we want to apologize to Mrs. McMills for the error.