Finally, Joyful Classrooms

Like most schools in Texas, the one I visited this morning is gearing up for the State Assessment (TAKS) Exams coming up in the next two months. The first couple of classrooms I visited, along with the principal and an assistant superintendent, were the usual -- children sitting with copies of released tests from previous years and teachers timing their responses. Teachers said things like, "The TAKS is going to want you to know this," and, "I know this isn't exciting, but you may need to know this for the TAKS."

I took a deep breath, silently telling myself not to fall into any pre-conceived notions, to try and find gems among the dull stones of conventional, "drill and kill" test preparation. Just as I was steeling myself for more of the same, at best, the principal said, "Why don't we move over here to the science labs."

She said it almost as an aside, as if we could have just as well skipped it, and I'm so thankful we didn't. The eighth-grade science classes were getting ready for the TAKS, as well; however, there were no release tests anywhere to be seen. No digital timer clicking down the minutes they were to be seated in silence, puzzling over word problems, or yawning, or drooling, or looking out the window, imagining they were anywhere else but here.

Instead, the science teachers had set up three stations in each of the three labs we visited. Each station had a hands-on cooperative lab that corresponded to an area that would be covered on the exam. The students heard nothing about the test, however. No one apologized for having them do the work. No "outside adversary" in the person of the standardized exam. Just teachers rotating with the students, doing measurements, making educated guesses, predicting, and then analyzing results.

There was not one bored kid in that room. They were working together, and laughing together, and they were learning. When that test comes along, they will have had real, physical experience with a good deal of what they're being asked to recall.

Those of you who've known me for a while may be surprised to hear my saying things that could be interpreted as somehow "pro-standardized testing." During my time in New York, I was quite active in the anti-testing movement. What I've come to understand is that while we may wish to replace exams with more authentic, interesting, engaging forms of assessment, we still need to get our kids to pass these tests in the meantime.

I thank the folks I visited today, because they helped me to understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to prepare students for tests. We should think about this lesson, as we consider how to do instruction in general. We don't have to bore children, and then wonder why they stop coming to school, all the while blaming those nasty tests. And we can't keep doing what we've been doing -- allowing tests to drive the way we teach, so that it becomes predictable and boring to the point of holding kids hostage. Instead, let's take ownership over the material, and do everything we can to make it fun and engaging for our students.