What Scares Us?

The Core, The Testing, The Results, The Pressure, The Answer.

I begin today by presenting two proposals (rather lengthy, I'm afraid):

1. Parents should remain neutral regarding the Common Core and its related testing because their fears do nothing to advance any changes in education.
2. The test results should not be shared with any parents or students for two years because the data should only be used for teaching and curriculum alterations.

As anyone who has written proposals knows, a simple formula must be followed: A should do B because of C (D/E/F . . .). I have made my points. Now, before my name is disgraced or I am subject to ridicule, please allow me the courtesy to explain my logic--not my emotion, my logic!

I realize I may tick a few people off with my thoughts today . . . good--if it makes the readers think and not simply hop on the Common Core = Bad bandwagon without fully digesting and understanding its purpose, then I will have accomplished my objective. As I have written many times, intelligent people examine all sides of issues before voicing opinions; bandwagon jumpers follow the crowd and often go with the loudest voice in the room. Please consider my voice to be an informed, reasonable perspective. I must add that my perspective accounts for high school topics only; I have no experience or expertise dealing with the elementary standards, so before the elementary folks get riled up, they need to write their own blog and explain their reasoning.

What scares us about the Core? Is it the legislative-provoked testing OR is it the actual Core? Please understand that the two are not the same. The Core is a set of standards; the tests are part of an evaluation tool that does not yet count in student evaluations--please make sure when discussing that we realize that the Core is not all-inclusive.

The Core, in its barest form, is a set of consistent standards that allow for kids regardless of where they go to school to be learning certain fundamental concepts. Like the human body, the Core is the center of learning. To expound that analogy, anyone with a back issue is first told to build up their core, their stomach muscles. Without strength and stability in that area, the back muscles are forced to work overtime. Translated, without a strong Core of learning, students will not be able to advance their learning to the degree expected of a high school graduate. In short, students will become stuck: if they have not mastered certain fundamentals and learned certain concepts, their futures become limited.

Let's not kid ourselves: We keep thinking kids today are not as well prepared as we were . . . how wrong we are. In any school in America, certain realities exist: A certain number of kids will be the A/B students, a certain number will be the D/F students, and the bulk will be the C students--that is right: the greatest cluster is in the middle, which is why it is called "average." The majority of our population consists of average people, but the leaders--the shakers and the movers--are oftentimes the overachieving upper level students. As my beloved junior high school principal Neil Compton once told me in talking about those kids who struggle academically, "Every play has to have someone pull the curtain--we can't all memorize the lines." That breakdown of student achievement has been present for as long as schools have existed.

My point is that regardless of what is taught and what is tested, percentages indicate that the same breakdown is going to occur: top, bottom, with a middle cluster. Certainly, at the outset, until kids and teachers are entirely comfortable with the Core standards and the testing, performance is going to suffer--that is obvious, isn't it? Maybe not . . . time for a quick history lesson and a peek behind the imaginary curtain. Currently, we have the OGT (Ohio Graduation Tests); students throughout the state do quite well on those tests. Ever wonder why? Check the grading scales, my friends--the state adjusts the grading scales, but, for the most part, a score of approximately 55% passes. You read that right. When the results are reviewed, what educators learn are that a certain number excel, a bunch are in the middle, and a few do not pass. When the grading scale is lowered, the results are certain to pass those kids at the bottom. They pass--wonderful. In short, the numbers reflect intellectual growth, don't they? But what if the grading scale is raised . . . now what? Maybe we are not so content with our numbers . . . and, from my seat, that is exactly where part of the fear creeps into the picture.

A few years ago I served on a well-run, equal-representation committee that examined Dover High School's Grading Scale. Sparing the reader the details, I, as a member on the committee, recommended that the Board of Education lower our grading scale. As stated, I will confess to voting in favor of it within the committee, but I will also admit to being opposed to the concept. What I saw was this: if we lowered the grading scale, more kids would experience success, therefore maybe accelerating their self esteem. I understood the argument, but the idea of lowering a scale troubled me. That hesitation then is resurfacing today.

We want our kids to be successful, make no mistake. So, again, I ask: What scares us about the Core and testing? Are we afraid that kids are not as advanced as we parents expect? Standardized testing humbles us, make no mistake. The ACT and SAT, for example, oftentimes frustrate those "A" students who do not score well because those tests set a high standard that many kids simply are not prepared to face their reality. From my experience as a college professor, I am quite comfortable saying that many of my students who supposedly were "A" students in high schools really fit more into the "C" (average) territory. In short, please understand that grade inflation has become a major issue, and, as a result, we fear that our kids--if pressed to perform on concept mastery--may fail or, at the least, be proven to not be as advanced as we might think. So, while their self-esteem may be bumped because they benefitted from a lax grade scale (and the dreaded "extra credit"), odds are that self-esteem may be shattered at one point in the future.

Is that what clusters of parents are fearing . . . that their children will not be as successful as those parents would expect, thus lowering their kids' self-esteem? That is part of the issue, but again please allow me to explain a point. Back in the day, I feared my parents ever fighting a battle on my behalf; I knew what I was responsible for learning, and, yes, I feared having to face my parents when I did not succeed. However, I knew it was my fault. In today's world, parents have somehow gotten the idea that they frequently need to fight on behalf of their children. Granted, when problems persist, maybe intervention is a viable solution, but let me stress that most kids absolutely dread their parents fighting their battles. Kids often have to live with the silent ridicule presented by fellow students when parents step to the forefront. It is a rare child who is proud of his or her parents fighting the fight . . . talk about a self esteem issue that can result! Academics are merely a part of the whole growing up challenge; a larger part is the development of the self. When parents intervene, realize that kids can become dependent on someone else (parent!) fighting their fights for them. In the long run, who suffers the most: the kid whose parent decided to take an arbitrary stand or the kid who learned his strengths and weaknesses? Parents, take a break--your kids will appreciate it. If we are going to take a stand and forbid our kids from taking a test, for example, that merely establishes baseline data so administrators and teachers can begin tweaking the test so that it ultimately is fair and truly reflective of the standards, what are we really running from--fear of failure? What are we truly teaching our kids?

This testing is a pain in the butt, I agree, but they are roll-out tests, meaning that they are a starting point. Let the tests unfold, let the growing pains emerge, and then let's get these tests where they are meaningful tools from which we can learn. Please do not be so naïve as to think that all testing is going away . . . it is not. Examine the real world: doctors, lawyers, teachers, technicians,  hair stylists, vocationally educated students, as mere examples, must all take exit exams to prove their competency.  Why not "regular" students? The Core's creed is to prepare students for college and to prepare those students not interested or qualified to attend college for the work world they are about to enter. The more fight that parents and anti-groups present, the more I hear "protect these poor kids from these bad adults because they want to hurt you!" What I wish I was hearing was this: "Take the tests, do what is expected, and let's see where all this leads."

My final point is simple: Forget sharing the first two years of results with parents--it accomplishes nothing to share the results. As I indicated, use the information for data and evidence, tweak the tests, make improvements, so that by the third year the tests are ready to go, the students will have had a few years of exposure to the standards, and the data will be an honest reflection of kids' progress, just one part of the whole puzzle.

What will we find in three years? Probably a select few will be at the top, a certain few will be at the bottom, and a large cluster will be in the middle . . . sound familiar?

mag.gunther@gmail.com
guntherm@roadrunner.com