(a.k.a. S.T.A.R. – All knowing all seeing God of truth and knowledge)
This week is the week we began to administer The Test.
Since I am a teacher who does not believe in, nor will I ever be brain-washed into embracing, the hype regarding the "vast benefits" of high-stake testing, one would think this time period would be filled with feelings of sadness and despair.
On the contrary, I LOVE Test Week!
One time a year, students are able to experience joy and fun in connection with their education!
Each morning, to increase blood flow to their brains in the name of The Test, there is a mass gathering in the amphitheatre. A teacher leads students in a series of heart-pumping warm-up stretches, exercises, and dances ( the “Chicken Dance”, “Cha-Cha Slide 2”, and yes, even the “Macarena” ).
Teachers lock arms with students and skip about and shake pom-poms in the air. Singing and shouting echoes off the usually hushed walls of the school grounds. Students wear homemade t-shirts with encouraging statements: Do your best on the STAR!
The sidewalks are chalked-up with a variety of inspiring phrases in pastel colors, banners are painted with bold letters and familiar icons, the community rallies, cheering students ever onward and upward towards their goal of “proficiency” on The Test.
After dancing and exercise, students are taken into the cafeteria.
Tables are laden with nutritious snacks: juice, dried fruit, granola!
Tweenie-Bop music pours out from the giant speakers, which typically pronounce more serious information. Students are encouraged to start “the Wave” down their tables. Parent volunteers ( only five, out of the 1,500, who could show up for school activities), teachers, and administrators dance about and sing. Students laugh, rejoice, and smile.
It’s truly a beautiful sight!
On the first day of The Test, as I observed the general atmosphere of gaiety and revelry, a thought occurred to me, which, because of my sense of the absurd, made the proceedings even more pleasant than the surrounding circumstances should have allowed.
High Stakes Testing is the new “religion” of education.
The parallels are uncanny!
From my friends at Wikipedia:
“ Religion is a cultural system that creates powerful and long-lasting meaning by establishing symbols that relate humanity to beliefs and values. Many religions have …traditions …intended to give meaning to life ... They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas...
The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system…Most religions have organized behaviors, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration…and/or scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration…, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, …initiations…meditation, music, art, dance…or other aspects of human culture.
Some religions place an emphasis on belief, while others emphasize practice. Some religions focus on the subjective experience of the religious individual, while others consider the activities of the religious community to be most important. Some religions claim to be universal, believing their laws and cosmology to be binding for everyone, while others are intended to be practiced only by a closely defined or localized group. In many places religion has been associated with public institutions such as education… government, and political hierarchies.”
High stakes testing has indeed become a “cultural system” within the public education arena.
“Meaning”, long-lasting meaning, is indeed derived from The Test results ( extracted from this erroneous manipulated tool—the strategically formed standardized assessment), often imprinting upon a child at a very young age whether or not they are smart (worthy) or dumb (sinful).
As a result of year after year of this form of ecclesiastical condemnation, many students proclaim themselves hopeless sinners and drop out of school, as a means of having the perpetually negative judgment end, and to put a stop to a systematic rote “worship” of something which is irrelevant to their lives.
In public education’s new religion of The Test worship, there is no mercy without full repentance and perfection ( proficiency). This religion has no “savior” to speak of. No “atonement” for those who fall short of grace ( i.e. students with specials needs, students who are second language learners, students new to this country, students disadvantaged by their parent’s socio-economic status or lifestyle).
Somehow, those who have decided upon the tenets of these false “pedago-logical” doctrines believe if we just believe enough in The Test, there will be a miraculous resurrection of all that was once great about America’s public education system, or that The Test itself will become that all knowing deity, able to pronounce final judgment on educators and students alike.
Under the influence of the doctrines of this new religion, teachers are being instructed by administrators that achievement on The Test means children from low socioeconomic backgrounds will now achieve at greater levels in society because of all the practice put forth to achieve high results on The Test.
Faith for many is not enough to accept this doctrine when empirical data demonstrates otherwise.
Teachers who oppose The Test are held to a new standard of “morality” and “ethical laws”. The deity of this religion demands “complete fidelity” to the laws which govern it.
You are professionally immoral if you do not “believe” in the efficacy of The Test.
You are not an “ethical” educator if you do not follow the prescribed “path” to bring all souls unto the state of proficiency ( as portrayed by The Test).
In fact, you are positively heretical if you stand in opposition to any of the prescribed doctrines.
An educator might even find themselves “dis-fellowshipped”, excommunicated, or shunned by districts, administration, parents, and colleagues, if their protestations are too overt and cast any doubt upon the belief system.
“Scriptures” for this system of worship are intricately produced and prepackaged base programs, produced by the charlatans of this religion, publishing companies, who are enriched by the duped administration/clergy. These programs promise “salvation” to the desperate masses of fearful parishioners: “If you buy this and do this, you shall be delivered!”
The commandments are drilled into the congregations of laity over and over again, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. There are naturally ten, and they are as follows:
(1) Read any titles and subtitles in order to be able to predict what a passage will be about and in Math determine what operation needs to be used.
(2) Meticulously study any given charts, graphs, or diagrams.
(3) Number the paragraphs in any given passage and in Math eliminate unnecessary data.
(4) Read questions carefully and underline or circle key words and in Math identify any key numbers or labels.
(5) Read passages twice.
(6) Do not mark your answer until you have read the question to contemplate what the answer might be.
(7) Go back to the passage to find the answer or clues to verify the answer.
(8) Eliminate wrong answers.
(9) In Math show your work and evaluate solutions.
(10) Mark the correct answer.
The currently preferred “lifestyle” derived from this new religion is one of austerity and fear mongering for a large majority of the school year.
Threats of the “fire and brimstone”, federal sanctions for not meeting the AYP and API expectations of the holy clergy, are personified by the punishments of the merciless Adversary: Program Improvement.
This terrifying being can come in the form of removing staff, shuffling administration, bringing in “experts” ( bureaucratic angels) to rework faulty “belief systems” and “worship practices”, and the most recently threatened penalty: school closure ( though none of these practices have proved beneficial to the congregations).
This religion demands beliefs and practices which encroach on the lives of individuals and entire learning communities.
The laws are binding.
Since this religion is associated with public institutions, government, and political hierarchies. It is pervasive.
In the modern world of public education, it is everything.
Once a year, this religion’s practices go into overdrive!
Passionate sermons in praise of The Test are given. Testimonials to commemorate the work of saints (proficient and advanced students) of the past are shared.
Even MORE time and proven engaging teaching practices are sacrificed to The Test. Converts are made (in California thousands of 2nd graders are initiated into the religion of High Stakes Testing each year).
As in my school feasts, music, art, and dance mark the almost messianic return of The Test!
Today, when we entered the cafeteria, our current meetinghouse, there in the middle of the stage suspended several feet off the ground was an enormous illuminated STAR. It was as tall as some of the recently initiated second graders! Silver garland covered every inch of its shape, as did the white lights which made clear that It was to be given the utmost attention and reverence.
At one point, I felt like "passing the plate", knowing how many millions of tax dollars have been siphoned off, tithes for the benefit and veneration of The Test, like the televangelist, Jim Baker, enriching Itself at the expense of its loyal trusting parishioners.
Instead, I raised my hands to the heavens in an oncoming “Wave” and looked at the radiant faces of my students and sang.
