The No Child Left Behind Act was passed by Congress 22 years ago.  This Federal legislation was designed to increase accountability through testing in America’s public schools.  So, as things with the law go, we have been testing our kids for 22 consecutive years – beyond the tests that many already take.  I was no stranger to this when I was in school – in New York, we had the option of taking the New York State Regents Exams.  Students in New York could therefore get two diplomas – the local diploma and the one offered by New York State.  Two different diplomas, imagine that.

This is the time of year when the results of Massachusetts’ version of this test come out.  The students take the tests in the Spring each year, and then school districts find out how their kids did several months later.  By the time school district administrators and teachers know how their students did on these important tests, all the students are about a month into their next grade.  Yes…that is how it works.  This accountability through testing thing has been a big topic of conversation for a long time.  And there have been some changes – but for the most part, more tests have just been added.  It started out with reading, writing, and math – but now there are many more assessments.

Many of us who were born in the 1900’s recall the pressure of SATs.  Hated that pressure – but one thing that works for this test is the fact that students get their scores back approximately 14 days after taking the it.  The ACT comes back in about 10 days.  I had to take the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) to get into grad school, and those came back in two weeks.  For lawyers who take the LSAT the test score comes back in four weeks.  When kids take their road tests, they find out right there and then.  But when our fourth graders take their reading and writing tests in March, we get to find out how they did in September. 

This brings me to my point this evening. I have no business getting into whether I agree with the state’s accountability system, or where I am on the up-and-coming ballot question on reforming it.  Other matters for other days.  Tonight, I’d like to comment on the purpose of the tests.  Because from the time that NCLB was passed until now the gaps in achievement between certain towns, and certain student groupings have been as predictable as the rising and the setting of the sun.  So, this week Holyoke, Springfield, certain schools in Dorchester, and a whole bunch of rural poor schools will be getting their test scores – which are merely sad annual reminders at this point.

A jagillion dollars have been spent on these tests.  Another jagillion has been spent on professional development about these tests, how to analyze the results, how to prepare kids to take them, and a jagillion more on the technological infrastructure needed to give some of the tests.  And for others, the districts hire staff to oversee the arrival, distribution, and departure of the tests.  I don’t even know how much a jagillion is, but I can tell you it is a lot.  This number is not to be confused with its relative, the gazillion.  Which is an actual number that is also quite large.

I wonder if anyone has thought of this idea….rather than test the students in March and get the results in September – perhaps it might be a better idea to test them in the first week of school.  Then use those results to define the instruction needed for each of them during the year.  And maybe test them again at the end to see how we did.  The last 22 years have taught us something – now let’s fix it before 2055.