Should students receive a report card grade for state standardized tests?
For the first time in Tennessee's testing history, students will receive a grade for the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP. According to this article that appeared in the Tennessean on April 12 of this year, Public Chapter 1127, a new state law, requires counties to count these tests 15-25% of students' second semester grades. My county has chosen to count the test as 20%, which is comparable to the weight of the end-of-course (EOC) testing in high schools. As it stands, a student's semester average will consist of 70% daily grades and tests, 10% final exam, and 20% TCAP score.
Parent Perspective
As a parent, I am a little weary of this idea. I'm blessed in that both of my children attend great schools that receive top scores, but what if there's a tragedy or illness that occurs right before testing? When life deals circumstances that are out of his/her control, should they have to worry about that grade?
My fourth grader expressed concern about her social studies test, so I made an effort to look over her standards and review with her. We wouldn't have done any of that had she not been getting a grade.
Educator Perspective
As a middle school teacher, I'm grateful that students are taking more ownership of their performance. Kids are actually studying this year. Parents are asking great questions about our standards. Teachers, knowing that kids are trying harder, are helping students take ownership of their own learning by making them more aware of those standards. It's been extremely effective this year.
One other interesting thing has been observable. During our practice tests, we were able to identify the students who "Christmas tree" their answers instead of giving it an honest effort. (Full disclosure, I only had two boys.) After a short discussion with these students and their parents, we were able to stress how much this score affects them personally. It's not just about the teacher, anymore.
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