What About the Other Days?

Who I am: Chris Lehmann

What I do: Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA (Opening 9/06).

What I did: Technology Coordinator / English Teacher / Girls Basketball Coach / Ultimate Coach at the Beacon School, a fantastic progressive public high school in Manhattan.

Email: chris [at] practicaltheory [dot] org.

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Comments

Jenny about EduCon 2.2 Reflections - What Do You Think?
Sun, 07.02.2010 20:31
I think this is a
question elementary
teachers ask often. We
ask it both because we do
often already [...]

John Patten about EduCon 2.2 Reflections - What Do You Think?
Sun, 07.02.2010 10:17
Ditto! IMHO, this is one
of the
"best-for-the-buck"
things we should
standardize on to improve
[...]

Erika Saunders about EduCon 2.2 Reflections - What Do You Think?
Sat, 06.02.2010 11:54
So simply put; so
powerful in meaning.
"What do you think?"
I'll never forget this
and intent to [...]

Carolyn Foote about EduCon 2.2 Reflections - What Do You Think?
Sat, 06.02.2010 11:10
Funny how these things
all mesh together because
I went to Zac's, iJohn,
and Bud's session on
Caring [...]

Christian Long about EduCon 2.2 Reflections - What Do You Think?
Sat, 06.02.2010 09:42
Chris: Amazing how
gracefully (and
logically) the 'intro' to
we've been working on
together has come [...]

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< Writing for Big Ideas: It's Just Not That Simple | Show Me What You Believe >

Saturday, February 16. 2008

Conversations can cause epiphanies, sometimes...

I was in a conversation with some administrative colleagues the other day, and the subject came around to standardized tests. We were talking about different ways to measure learning, and I, quite predictably, was talking about performance-based assessments.

I talked about how every different assessment tool privileges different things, and I said, "I've come to realize that, as an educator, I am more interested in what kids can do as opposed what they know." Now, that, to me, is a continuum, and clearly, kids have to know stuff to do stuff, but I'm realizing that that dichotomy is at the heart of the disagreement between traditional education and project-based learning. And what I really like about Understanding by Design is that with understanding at the top of the way they frame their hierarchy of teaching and learning, you really can look at both of those things. But all of this is really something I want to explore more in another post... the epiphany came with what my colleague said next.

"Chris," he said, "We have to teach the kids to take tests... the SATs, the LSATs, the MCATs, these are serious tests and serious days that can forever alter the path of a person's life.'

It's a good point, and certainly, it can be the tip of the sword in the argument for schools like SLA. But something popped into my head...

"Yes, they are, and we cannot ignore those tests, and we should prepare kids for them but those are three days in a person's life. What are we doing in our schools to prepare kids for the other 20,000 days of their lives?"

And I realized that's the question we should really be asking. That's the answer to all those who say the tests are paramount.

What are we doing to prepare kids for all the other days of their lives?

That's why authentic, relevant teaching, learning and assessment is so important.

Posted by Chris Lehmann in General Ed at 10:55 | Comments (19) | Trackbacks (0)

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Hi Chris,

I always thought that one's performance on the SATs would have an impact on the other 20,000 days of one's life. Not getting into a college or other program would seem to have implications.

Are some days more important than others?

Doug

#1 Doug Johnson (Link) on 2008-02-16 11:26 (Reply)

Chris, I agree with you here. But, don't those 3 days impact the other 20,000 in some sense (graduation, college admission, choice of college, choice of profession,...)? If they don't, then we really have a bigger problem here. I think that this is part of the issue - SHOULD these 3 days impact the other 20,000 of a person's life to the degree that they actually do?

#2 Steve (Link) on 2008-02-16 11:28 (Reply)

Chris,

Even in the long-ago days when I entered the adult workforce, interviewers were not asking how I performed on tests (assuming that I had the requisite degree) but how I would perform in the profession.

Did I have the needed entry skills? Could I interact well with others and respond thoughtfully and appropriately to questions? Was I able to function both independently and as a group member?

I didn't start out as a teacher - my first job was as a social caseworker. I'm sure the mechanics of that career have changed, but not the necessary people skills.

No one asked for my SAT or GRE scores. I was judged on my potential value in the work situation.

School is important, but it is only a small part of life. True education is more universal than standardized tests.

diane

#3 diane (Link) on 2008-02-16 11:28 (Reply)

I also want to point out, we all passed those tests(GRE, IOWA test of basic skills, LSAT, on and on) without spending time in high school "preparing for the test."

I think we get so focused on this idea that if we don't "teach to the test" that we aren't teaching and that students won't do well on the test.

If we are teaching our students to think, to evaluate, to analyze, to discuss, to read, to write well....no matter what the "means" we use to get there, we are reaching the ends--having a student who can think.

And a student who can think can do well on any sort of test they face, because they know how to "think their way" through it.

And if you examine the premise of a test like the SAT for example, it is designed to test college readiness, not only to test for facts, but to test ability to analyze and respond, to think abstractly.

(I wouldn't say the same is true for many state tests, but that varies tremendously from state to state).

My point being--we need to teach students to think. That is what will prepare them for both those "3 days" and the other 20,000.

#4 Carolyn Foote (Link) on 2008-02-16 12:11 (Reply)

Great points everyone... and yes, Doug, I do think that certain days have more importance than others. But it's a question of focus and a question of overarching goals. We shouldn't look at those tests as the end all and be all of what we do. And, in Philadelphia, passing the PSSA and making AYP is dominating the conversation about teaching and learning, and that saddens me.

I think other schools prepare kids for the SATs better than SLA. If a kid goes to Central HS in Philly instead of SLA, I'm willing to be they will score 100-200 points higher on the SATs in 11th grade. I think that our kids will be better problem solves, more engaged citizens and more active learners.

Now, that means it's our job at SLA to do a great job of publicizing our school so that the kids are on the same footing in the college process, but I believe we can do that.

And honestly, I am saddened by our reliance on the SATs in the college process when we know now that it is privileging the upper middle class kids who can afford to take Kaplan and Princeton Review classes to boost scores.

But I still ask these questions... when did we decide that these tests would dominate the conversation about schools? Why did we decide this was a good idea? Why are we allowing the companies who create the tests and the books that prepare the kids for the tests and the course materials that the teachers should teach (and I know that many suburban districts are facing this the way urban districts are) create a vertical curriculum monopoly with values that run counter to what so many educators know to be true?

#4.1 Chris Lehmann (Link) on 2008-02-16 12:39 (Reply)

As a recent graduate of high school I remember still taking the ACT and all the preparation that went along with it. I worked hard, to get the score I wanted, to get into the school that I wanted, but really do I remember ½ of the stuff they asked me on the test? Probably not. Besides that, as you say, how much of that is relevant and will help me in REAL life? Not much. Looking back, so much of our teacher’s time went into not only ACT prep, but also the NCLB testing as well. We had planned days of practice in each class each week that to me now, seemed like such a waste. I guess you can say that these tests do effect much more than that day though. I just wish schooling wasn’t based so strongly on standardized testing and the grades we receive. If we don’t score high enough on the ACT, our chances of getting into the school of our choice are unlikely. From this one test, our future can change drastically. If we don’t do well enough on the PLAN test or any other NCLB testing, the school is penalized. They school looses out on money, causing a spiral effect of cutting teachers, classes, after school activities and so on. From there this school then must plan more pre-testing time so their students can score better and their funds go back up. These few days of testing shouldn’t give us the outcome of our lives or relate to the funding a school gets.
- Nicole

#4.1.1 Nicole Mikolajczak on 2008-02-16 13:26 (Reply)

Hi Chris,

No argument from me that we over emphasize tests - especially summative tests. And I agree using SATs have been proven to be a poor indicator of college success. Unfortunately, as long a society in general sees an importance in doing well on these measurements, we owe it to kids to make sure they can do well.

I did appreciate Carolyn's comment that by educating children well, we are, in fact, teaching them to do well on test.

All balance as usual.

Thanks for the response!

Doug

#5 Doug Johnson (Link) on 2008-02-16 13:01 (Reply)

Fundamentally speaking, Chris, your comments are spot on.

Practically speaking, however, teaching to the test, used as an oversimplified moniker for the phenomenon you describe, is really the highest ranking priority when you’re choosing what is best for the student’s future.

My twenty year old son was in the first class of the first local charter school, Mosaica Academy in Bensalem. The curriculum was exciting, project based and integrated to support overarching projects.

The curriculum employed rubrics and a subjective measuring system for evaluating student success, which included compiling a binder representing their very best work.

When my son chose his high school, the academic advisors didn’t know what to make of Mosaica’s transcripts or my son’s binder. They struggled to track him and wound up doing so based simply on his entry exam.

In the end, his Mosaica education served him well. His project mindset, integrated way of dissecting work and results oriented goal setting helped him to stand out among his peers and eventually landed him a scholarship to Rider University.

While your point about the vertically integrated curriculum monopoly is well taken, some combination of teaching to the test and, as Carolyn suggests, giving students methodologies for critical thinking is the best recipe for success in the current structure.

You can go change the world in your spare time.

#6 Don Lafferty (Link) on 2008-02-16 13:02 (Reply)

I agree with you Chris! We need to give the young people we teach skills that will last them throughout their lifetime regardless of whether or not they go on to any higher education. When they leave the HS will they be able to apply what they learned to the world around them has more importance in my book then whether or not they were proficient on the PSSA or got 1200 on the SAT. The PSSA doesn't measure achievement or any deep understanding of the material, it only shows how well schools are teaching to a test to meet the AYP. We are in the 21st century and schools are still teaching as if it was the 19th. Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day.... Teach a man to fish and he'll feed himself for a lifetime!!!

#7 Jason on 2008-02-16 15:39 (Reply)

Thanks for giving me a great answer to use when this is brought up at my next CEC meeting because I know this will come up! Shouldn't we teach our students how to prepare for life (which may include taking those tests)? It kind of goes with that saying about- if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if you teach the man to fish- he can eat when he's hungry. If we teach to the tests, they might survive the tests, but what about life leading up to and after the tests? Great post!

#8 Pat (Link) on 2008-02-16 16:14 (Reply)

Thing is, those three days will have a huge effect on the school. Those three days are the only days schools are "held accountable," to borrow the phrase of our Washington lawmakers.

The principal who values his job cannot forget that. The principal who does not value his job won't be around much longer in the atmosphere of accountability there is.

The biggest obstacle to authentic instruction is having assessments that test that authentic instruction. We need to fundamentally change the paradigm of teaching so that schools' highest purpose is not to train university professors but instead to train working members of society.

We need to make a high school diploma worth something again. It needs to be more than simply a stepping-stone to college so that colleges can be more than a stepping-stone to clerical work.

In one sense, you go too far. Really, though, we don't go far enough.

http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/

#9 Benjamin Baxter (Link) on 2008-02-16 21:41 (Reply)

I had the pleasure of spending all day this past Friday on a bus trip with all of my 10th graders. The trip allowed the kids to tour 2 universities, one large and one small. It was a sneak peek for them into the overall college application process. And hopefully it'll give each of them yet another 'leg up' in the multi-year 'get into college' contest they are about ready to enter, ready or not.

Made me think back to my own high school years. And the search for colleges.

I know that I went most of my high school years without a single adult in my school asking about my plans for college, let alone talking about it as central to my existence. I went to 2 great undergraduate schools, one a small East Coast liberal arts college and the other a huge Midwestern university. I then went to an Ivy League grad school.

I'm not sure my students go 3 class periods in a row without being told that every decision they make now will have a lasting impact on their ability to be taken seriously by a host of college admissions committees. 100% of them will go to colleges located all over the US (and sometimes beyond).

Truth be told, I'm not sure which is a better process when I really think about it:

Spend every day with 'college' as the defining DNA of the high school experience?
Or spend every day just being in high school with college being one component of what will foster our future?

Back to last Friday's college tour. While getting on the college tour bus yesterday, several of my students began asking me where I went to college. They also asked me what my SAT scores were.

There was a disconnect. A significant one. At least if we look at tests.

My SAT score was an 1150, hardly the score of great test-taker driven by a solid high school education. 10 years later, my GMAT score was essentially the same. Zero change. Humbling, and yet freeing, too. The score was 'good enough' to be ignored by undergrad and grad school admissions teams, but ultimately 'not good enough' to matter. In either case. Again. Humbling. And freeing.

Here's the kicker.

It turns out -- whether I was applying to a small liberal arts college, a big ol' state university, or one of the Ivies, my score mattered little. Or at least not in the accept-or-reject way that seems to be trumpted so often in the pantheon of educational debates.

Curious. What then did matter?

After spending a bit of time as an admissions officer for a private school a few years back -- using the same process that most colleges and universities do -- it turned out that we rarely let a test be the reason a student was accepted. Or turned down.

What? The test...didn't...matter?

Sort of. Here's what I mean.

Turns out that the 'composite' picture of the applicant mattered most of all. Not the test score, no matter what Kaplan or Princeton Review suggests. Especially if that student could offer our school something unique, if their interests/voice were authentic, if they could handle our work load, and if they'd make a positive impact on our learning community over time.

Can you say that to a high school student? Can you let them know about the disconnect?

Time to shift conversational gears a bit. Worth looking at the other side of the convo.

Let's say -- for argument's sake -- that SAT (et al) scores matter. Really matter. Let's say its the most obvious difference for some -- or most applicants - when they apply to colleges/universities. If it isn't, then we have to wonder why it has become such a secondary educational industry to fuel the test prep game. Let's say, raising the bar a bit, that it'll matter more and more in the years to come. A great deal more, in fact.

Intellectually, I can let go of my own personal experience as an applicant or an admissions officer to follow this path of argument. For the most part.

What I can't let go of, however, is the disconnect between "getting into college" with "thriving in college" and "graduating from college".

Statistics suggest that there is a solid 1:1 relationship between high school GPA and SAT scores (et al) and "success" in the 1st year of college. Almost enough of a 1:1 to remain uber-confident that tests really, really, really matter.

Sort of.

You see, a funny thing happens on the way to the graduation forum, so it seems. The ratio shifts gears. A lot. Apparently research says that the factors guaranteeing success in college (and the highlight of graduation) have little to do with high school GPA or one's entrance exam scores. Very little.

Turns out that it has more to do with:

a) being able to handle complex situations,

b) leadership skills,

c) and other hard-to-test elements.

As a future employer interviewing such a student readying themselves for graduation and the real world, I'm sure I'd be pretty focused on that last list set as the lens by which I'd be making a crucial hiring decision. It certainly would not be the scores.

And if that is the case, I'm wondering how we can use the "3 days" to define the next "20,000 days" (as Chris suggests).

Oh, and I'm wondering why we continue to suggest that all of our high school graduates a) must go to college and b) must go to the 'best' school their scores can get them into.

Call me naive. Or call me curious. Either way, I'm at peace with being ob this side of the testing Maginot Line.

P.S. Kudos to Chris for re-framing the big question for all of us. (If you haven't done so already, go read or re-read his full post )

P.P. S. And kudos to my own students for giving me a laugh as they tried to figure out how I got into college and grad school without being a brilliant test taker when all was said and done.

#10 Christian Long (Link) on 2008-02-18 16:19 (Reply)

Having taken just about every standardized test out there, including the LSAT, GRE, MCAT and the bar exam- there are certain tricks to taking standardized tests- but that no amount of coaching replaces knowing the material. I have no doubt whatsoever that the SLA students will rock the PSSA's this year, because they not only know the material- they understand it and can apply it, because they exercise these skills every day.
And as you said so eloquently-these tests are just one day- the real evaluation of worth comes on a daily basis. The tests may be a yardstick some people think is important, but ultimately the engagement of students in their education every day is the measure of success that matters most.

#11 Whitney Hoffman (Link) on 2008-02-18 17:56 (Reply)

I would have to agree with you on how much pressure is put into just those test days. I took the PSAT and the ACT therefore the one that was extremely important for me was the ACT. My friends and I were all very nervous because our entrance into the college we wanted to go to depended on how we scored on that one test. We had spent countless hour practices in our classes and on our own. Our teachers would preach to us, you need to know this for the ACT. I find it very important to understand and learn more than just what you need to know for one test. Yes it determines where you may be accepted into college, but what if you aren't a good test taker no matter how well you know the material? Those students spent all that time learning the material but still aren't good test takers, they did not get very much out of that learning. I definitely think you did a great job of hitting the question right on the dot. Did we really learn anything to help us with our future, for every day life, while preparing for those tests. I would say not. After taking the test, you don't even get feedback so that is teaching the students to study to reach a certain point of success, but don't learn from your mistakes. We never get to see our answers to tell which questions we got right or wrong, all the students care about is seeing that one score that means the most to majority of high school juniors.

#12 Kaila on 2008-02-18 20:18 (Reply)

Hi Chris,

I’m student teacher currently enrolled in college and I am a Physics Education Major. I agree with you fully on your ideas about teaching. To start with the topic of caring about what your kids can do more then what they know. Just in physics alone the main concepts that are taught are problem solving skills. I certainly learn about all the different formulas and what they do, but when it really comes down to it my professors are teaching us the ability to solve any situation even with out prior learning for the problem. To elaborate further on this idea I bring up a topic we discussed recently in my “teaching high school physics” course. We discussed the importance of teaching content or virtues, such as work ethic in the classroom. My whole class came to the conclusion that what we really retain from our classes in high school is the virtues that were taught because most students forget the content as soon as they walk out of the room at the end of the year.
Too shortly comment on the idea of teaching for standardized tests. To me I think it’s important to worry about the other 20,000 days of our lives instead of those three days. If a teacher taught the ability of basic problem solving in their subject instead of just straight memorizing for content, it would be teaching for your whole life including those three days.

#13 Brett on 2008-02-18 21:57 (Reply)

If you knew what I got on the SAT you'd laugh...or frown.

I still went to college (accepted to all 3 state Univ. I applied to)

I graduated on time

What did I learn from the SAT. It was a waste of a Saturday morning and I missed a baseball game because of it.

Still upset? Yeah!

Yes the SAT is important, but it isn't everything. Great post!

#14 Jeff Utecht (Link) on 2008-02-19 05:51 (Reply)

Mr. Lehmann,
I am currently a student at IL State University majoring in Family & Consumer Science Education. Your writings definitely caught my attention. School and learning should be based on so much more than a few standardized tests. What about the kids who completely understand the material and know everything they are reading but just are not great test takers. In FCS there is so much more to know then what can even be questioned on a test. It is more of a hands-on-learning in many subjects of FCS. I think it is somewhat absurd that some places (colleges) actually only look at your ACT/SATs instead of everything else that you have accomplished at your life. I think as educators we need to teach students more than standardized tests. You have it right on target about the 3 days of testing, and forgetting about the other 20,000 days. Your future should be so much more than that.

#15 Brittney Ghezzi on 2008-02-19 18:57 (Reply)

Chris,
I understand where you are coming from and I totally agree with you, but how are we going to tell between students for college? Students are not being challenged the same in any school and if they are then they are most likely being challenged in different subjects. We cannot just decide a student’s future by just their grades and that is why we have standardized testing. I myself am not a good test taker but there must be a way to choose between a student that should be accepted and a student that does not get accepted. Maybe a science fair type of “test” should be introduced where professors give scores to projects that students present instead of students competing with each other they are trying to get the best score, something to that degree.

Don Macatangay

#16 Anonymous on 2008-02-19 22:20 (Reply)

State assessments aside, let's not forget, also, that there are a large number of universities and colleges that now de-emphasize or don't require standardized test scores for admission. (See http://www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm) Regardless, I hear teachers all over the country talking about how they are either explicitly or implicitly required to teach to the test or a test or a series of tests. That won't abate until we reframe the discussion of what we should be assessing in the first place, and in that, i agree with you that we should be looking for what our kids can do more than trying to figure out what they know.

But what do I know...

#17 Will Richardson (Link) on 2008-02-20 05:18 (Reply)

Chris,
I can see where your thoughts are coming from. I do not think that these tests have an impact on the rest of the days of our lives, and yet they can also decide which colleges students can get into, which does affect these 20,000 days. We need to find a way to make sure we are preparing the students for the rest of the days of their lives, which may or may not include these standardized tests. I have never fully understood the point of these tests, except to cause extra stress in a student's life for a few weeks. However, I think while these tests are being stressed so much, it might be beneficial to take those few days to prepare them for it, even if it doesn't directly influence the rest of their lives.

Veronica Pollack

#18 Veronica Pollack on 2008-02-26 15:47 (Reply)

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Saturday, February 16. 2008

What About the Other Days?

EduCon 2.2

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Philadelphia, PA

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What About the Other Days?

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Saturday, February 16. 2008

What About the Other Days?

EduCon 2.2

Jan. 29-31, 2010 Science Leadership Academy Philadelphia, PA

Speaking Engagements

Calendar

The Quote File

Quicksearch

Archives

Twit This

Categories

EduBlogs

Del.icio.us Links

Jan. 29-31, 2010
Science Leadership Academy
Philadelphia, PA