Something that I have been wanting to cover for quite some time but never had the chance to is standardized statewide testing. In recent times, many parents and teachers have been complaining that standarized tests are no longer necessary, especially now in the days of post-COVID life.
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However, I also have my fair share of standardized testing that I have encountered in my academic life. In Massachusetts, we were required to take what is known as MCAS or Massachusetts Comprehensive Achievement System. It was first issued in 1993 and has been met with criticism by both parents and teachers alike ever since.
I took the MCAS in 2005 during my sophomore year of high school and I do remember that the testing mostly focused on English and Math subjects. It was sort of a yin and a yang as I was strong in English, but terrible in Math. When all was said and done, despite all the work I put in, I ended up not passing by several points. So, what did I do? I took the test again in the fall of my junior year and ended up passing, much to my delight and the delight of my family.
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As a neurodiverse special education student, taking part in standardized testing was something, looking back now, was stressful as it is. I don’t know if it is still required, but we had to pass the MCAS testing in order to graduate from high school. Looking back now, 15 years after graduating, I believe that the stress of a standardized test is no longer necessary, especially now that in my school district, students now have to complete 25 hours of community service in order to graduate.
Plus, it’s also frustrating for teachers to have to abandon their lesson plans for a particular period of time to prep their students for statewide testing. The mind of a student is like a fragile piece of artwork, you have to be extremely careful with it in order to carry it out across whatever journey you have it on.
Could you imagine the looks on my English and Math Teacher’s faces when they would have to do MCAS prep when they would rather be doing something else with their students?
It was probably a look of disgust and irritation at the state for making them do this.
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I also believe that special education students should at least have the option to back out of the testing or do an alternative form of testing because having experienced the statewide testing myself, I know that I wouldn’t be able to answer all of the questions in front of me simply because my brain wouldn’t work that way.
However, if the special education student needs to participate in the testing, then hiring a temporary tutor or doing after school extra help is the best option available. It worked for me when I had to take the test over again.
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All in all, statewide testing is like that saying, “you can’t with them, you can’t live without them.” You want to chuck it like that houseguest that won’t leave you alone or that fly you want to swat but can’t because it’s too fast. Sometimes, you just have to play the game that they want you to play in order to move onto the next level.
Think of it as like a level in the “Grand Theft Auto” series, the level is difficult, but you gotta go through with it in order to complete the game. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best example I put in, but you get my point.
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Catch you all later!!
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