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.