DOE: A Vital Gauge
UFT: New Testing To Limit Learning

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

United Federation of Teachers officials last week blasted a new regimen of standardized testing that will be required in every school this fall.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: Too much of a bad thing.

They criticized the Department of Education's plan as an impediment to teaching that will increase time spent on test preparation. DOE officials say the tests will be more adaptable and flexible than the previous ones and labeled them "Teacher-friendly."

Already Detracts

"Even now," said UFT President Randi Weingarten, "without all the new assessments, the amount of paperwork and test prep has translated into less time doing actual teaching."

The new tests were designed and will be managed by CTB/McGraw-Hill, which won an $80-million five-year contact with the city. The exams are intended to predict how students will do on mandatory state exams and to assess student aptitude in basic skills.

Children in third through eighth grade will now be tested five times a year instead of three. High school students will be tested four times a year for the first time. The exams will cover English Language Arts and math starting in the fall, and social studies and science will be added in the coming years.

PHILOSOPHICAL CLASH: Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein (left) calls new tests for city students a needed measuring stick of their progress, but United Federation of Teachers chapter leader Terry Weber views them as the first step toward a 'Teacher-proof environment.'

'Tailored to Students'

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein stressed at a press conference last week that the tests would not be "high-stakes." "This system will make sure the tests are tailored to students' individual needs," he said. "They won't be used in tenure decisions or in how we grade schools."

The computerized testing system will allow schools to align the tests exactly to the mandatory state exams, or to customize them to focus on particular skill-sets. The program allows Principals and Teachers to view student results individually or by classroom. Scores can also be categorized by race, gender, limited English proficiency, special education and socioeconomic disadvantage. Test results can be seen immediately if taken on a computer, and within five days if taken with paper and pencil.

But UFT officials were not convinced by the new system. "These new assessments will mean even more time devoted to testing and test prep in lieu of teaching," said Ms. Weingarten, noting that a recent UFT report recommended against using the citywide assessments.

'Assessments Critical'

But DOE officials argued that testing was integral to teaching and that the system would simply provide more specific information about student weaknesses to Teachers, allowing them to better target instruction.

"When I was in public school in New York City," said Mr. Klein, "we were tested every Friday. I think assessments are critical."

Officials with the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators declined to comment on the new system, but Elmer Myers, the first-year Principal of P.S./M.S. 194 in The Bronx, spoke in favor of it at the DOE press conference announcing the plan.

"I think it's going to allow us to go about our jobs in a smarter way," he said. "Everything I've seen so far is really a plus for the system."

He said he did not believe that it would be used to discipline Teachers or Principals, and that the tests could help to pinpoint students' problems. "The accountability level for us is already as high as it can be," he said. "This is just giving us more information."

More Paperwork?

Karen Stavis, who is the Region 5 Instructional Supervisor in math and next year will supervise math for the Knowledge Network Learning Support Organization, called the new tests a "dream come true."

"Right now I'm getting a lot of opinions about what the kids know," she said, "but it's not always fact; it can become an urban myth." She explained that, for example, the information gleaned from the tests could be used to set up an intensive two-week mini-academy for students missing a specific set of skills.

But UFT officials expressed concern that Teachers who say they are already overwhelmed by paperwork would see more of it. Teachers who responded to a recent UFT survey said they were spending almost a quarter of their instructional time on paperwork related to mandated assessments, and 79 percent said it was heavier than a year ago.

'Easier for Teachers'

DOE officials contended that the new system would reduce paperwork. "These assessments are the kind that correspond to a test that a Teacher would give in a classroom anyway," said DOE spokesman Andrew Jacobs. "So if anything, these assessments will make Teachers' jobs easier because they will get a lot more detailed feedback."

But many Teachers fear that the new exams will only lead to more pressure to teach to the tests. In the UFT survey, 89 percent of Teachers said their schools currently devote time to preparing for the state exams. Pre-k through fifth grade Teachers reported an average of almost 7-1/2 weeks of prep prior to the tests. Sixth- through 12th-grade Teachers said they prepped more than 6-1/2 weeks in advance.

"It appears that where Bloomberg and the DOE are heading is a Teacher-proof environment," said Terry Weber, a chapter leader at Urban Academy and a member of the UFT's Testing Task Force. "Kids take a lot of test prep, designed by private companies. Next, they take a test designed by a private company. Next they only work on the sections they did poorly on. A lot of this kind of "learning" can and will be done by pre-programmed computer software."

But Mr. Klein argued that the new system was a way of moving towards better teaching methods. "I don't want this to be seen as a numbers game," he said. "I don't think it means more pressure. I think it means more learning."