Benchmark Tests Every Six Weeks!?

If I had my pick of weeks to start student teaching this would not have been the one. The whole week has been spent testing my Kindergarteners in Reading, Social Studies, Math, and Science. This scenario occurs every six weeks through out the school and the entire state of Texas. The tests cover the previous six weeks worth of content arranged in a multiple choice format. Because of the testing there was very little content instruction besides the Reading Mastery program that the district mandates it be completed everyday under specific guidelines. Despite this drawback I have been able to witness the bureaucratic side of education and I must say it can be quite frustrating. Not really knowing the students ability levels, aside from a brief conversation with my cooperating teacher, it was clear to me that the tests are written at a level beyond what a Kindergartener is capable of comprehending. Because of the difficulty level of the tests the teachers have to read aloud all the questions and answers, unless they are ones that have pictures with the answers or are testing their knowledge of letter sounds. The teachers are given the opportunity to provide feedback on the tests, but the feedback does not make a difference in the way questions are asked or asked to be answered. One clear example of this was during the weekly weekly meeting of Kindergarten teachers; the teachers had asked for a particular question, about toast, a toaster, and the position of the toast, to be removed each year since it appeared on the test. They were rather annoyed that it was still on the test along with several other questions that they had explained in feedback were not appropriate for Kindergarteners.

Seeing this frustration and the lack of response has been helpful for me. It has allowed me to really internalize the fact that sometimes the administration and "powers that be" can be very non-responsive to teachers' requests. It can take varying amounts of time before a change is made and patience is key in not becoming overly frustrated by the bureaucratic side of education. I also think it is important to remember why you teach and why you became a teacher when these types of things are breaking you down.

I understand the importance of testing the students, but it seemed to me it was challenging them more than assessing the knowledge that they gained during the six weeks. Students should be challenged during their lessons and in their homework where they can get direct and immediate feedback that will help them in the right direction if they are wrong or right. A challenge that students cannot make connections with right away are more a deterrent and source of frustration for the students rather than constructive and evaluative of their knowledge and growth.

Mostly it just seems outrageous that Kindergarteners are being tested every six weeks in all content areas on such a large scale.