Testing, testing

If you asked me to read a book about assessment, I would politely decline. Assessment has never held much interest for me, as a theme in itself. Sure, I do my grades at the end of a unit like everyone else. But for me it's always been about the process, and reflecting moment-by-moment. And as an art teacher, I have conflicting feelings about grading something that should be an expression of the self. 

But a colleague of mine has a strong interest in this topic, especially as her little girl is bumping into the testing monolith in her elementary school. So when I ran into Anya Kamenetz's  book, "The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing–But You Don't Have to Be" (PublicAffairs, 2015), I picked it up and gave it a go. 

I wasn't disappointed. 

Kamenetz is an education reporter for NPR, and her expertise shines through every page. She starts with a meticulous critique of our current system, and also gives a historical overview of where all of this started- with psychologists in the 19th century, and the military.

She then proceeds to give some sketches of alternative assessment options, some that sound like they're right out of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with computers giving moment-to-moment feedback, in real time, with every movement and click of the mouse. 

She also has a chapter on helping kids cope with whatever  testing culture they are currently laboring under. (Of course, one option is for kids and families to opt out of tests, which increasing numbers are doing). Many children are struggling mightily with stress and anxiety under our current, nearly relentless, system of testing  and more testing. In chapter seven she discusses how mindfulness and meditation are giving students  the tools they need to regulate their emotions and manage the stress of this pervasive culture of anxiety. 

The great thing Kamenetz does is to give  historical context and overview for what is happening in classrooms all across the country. This new, oft-times overwhelming emphasis on testing, really has changed education. Programs like STEM (called STEAM at my school), are in part attempts to challenge this pervasive culture. 

And while this book is ostensibly about testing in American classrooms, it's really about education itself. It asks the big questions: What is education for? What is its purpose? 

You can spot a true writer when she can take a subject like testing and assessment, and make it into an exciting read. And that she did. And while I found a few passages a bit hazy (maybe a perfect metaphor for the tests themselves?), this book really captured my attention. It is smart, moves quickly, and provides a well-balanced, yet critical look at the culture of testing in American schools. 

Get this book. But don't worry- there won't be a quiz later.