By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
As the new school year begins, our teachers, students and families will be facing both familiar and new challenges. This year our schools will still have to deal with COVID infections and disruptions to learning, but hopefully to a lesser extent now that vaccines for all ages are readily available.
Beyond public health concerns, educators will start the year with the important task of assessing their students, creating and implementing plans to address any concerns, all while guiding and supporting busy classrooms. The pandemic has exacerbated many problems that we are all still working to overcome, and our schools are no different.
If you have read some of my previous columns or have had any conversations with me about education, you will know that seeing our children succeed is one of my biggest goals personally and professionally. You might also know that I am a big fan of data; accurate information is key to creating solutions for complex problems. Knowing this, what I share next may come as a surprise.
I do not like standardized tests. Our educational system has become too reliant on them to measure benchmarks, when instead we should be focused on work that allows us to measure whole-student goals and progress. If we are hoping to educate and prepare our children for an evolving world, we need to move away from static testing and back to the basics of educating students to be able to assess and meet the challenges of the world at large.
The current schedule of standardized testing in Connecticut and across the country means that large sections of the school year are spent preparing for these tests. Combined with the increasing curriculum requirements, I worry that this leaves little open time for the deep dives that often encourage the curiosity of students to delve into broader topics and the discussions that lead to greater subject matter understanding.
Guidance and structure are important so that our schools provide equal educational opportunities, but I believe we need to give our teachers more freedom to bring these lessons to the classrooms they know best. Play-based learning and flexible lesson plans allow for greater cognitive achievement as well as stronger social-emotional skillsets to develop, which in turn can lead to better academic performance and personal success in the long run.
Standardized assessments increased dramatically when the No Child Left Behind strategy was implemented; at this point it is clear these tests are not creating the outcomes hoped for. Additionally, increased stress felt by students, educators and parents are often reported with these assessments. At a time when mental and behavioral health systems are already stretched, continuing a practice known to increase these stressors doesn’t make much sense. Standards are already changing; many colleges and universities are discontinuing the requirements for the SAT/ACT in admissions.
It is time for Connecticut to continue to lead on education and rethink how we prepare our children and support our teachers at every level.