Testing Nonsense

Do you know what the big education news is in Indiana?

The ISTEP. Not the test itself, but when it should be administered.

Apparently there's a big lobby working in Indy to change the testing schedule from the fall to the spring. Supposedly it's better to do the testing in the spring because all of the students have been in school for several months and the material should be reasonably fresh. Those who want it changed think the teachers are having to scramble at the beginning of each school year to "cram" the material with their students to prepare for the test. All so they can get good scores for their school and the praise and other goodies that come with them.

The whole thing is ridiculous, as far as I'm concerned. The ISTEP isn't a GRE or MCAT or LSAT. It's not even close to the SAT or PSAT or any AP exam. The ISTEP is fundamental basics covering the 3 R's. And the tests are so simple only the severly learning disabled should have any trouble passing.

But Indiana kids don't pass. The failure rates are frighteningly high, which means that Indiana kids can't handle basic reading, writing, math and science. The numbers are somewhere between one-quarter and one-third of students fail. And the worst schools are in the larger cities - Indy, Gary, Ft. Wayne, Muncie, etc., where the failure rate is approaching half.

Whether they take the test in the fall or the spring is a stupid argument. The kids can read or they can't. They can perform simple computations or they can't.

The whole controversy is badly misplaced. How about discussing why so many can't read, write, or perform simple math? Why are the poor schools and city schools doing so badly? What can be done to improve those schools?

This is the frustrating thing about politics. Apparently the majority of the population is so shallow and stupid that they can be sidetracked on a stupid issue like when to give the ISTEP test without even understanding there's a major underlying problem making Indiana one of the worst states in the nation for education.

Reminds me of Forrest Gump. "Stupid is as stupid does." Sure seems to apply to our education system.