Washington superintendent reimagines student testing

As the end of the school year draws nearer, kids will start sitting down for those long, standardized tests we have all come to know and love.

While dozens of parents at one local elementary school decided to opt their children out of the assessment, the head of Washington’s schools says he is aware of the problem. Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn says they are already trying to do something about it.

A couple of years back, before the state legislature was bogged down in the massive budget gap, they funded a report on the merits of formative testing; examinations done before and during the learning process in a way that gives immediate feedback to the student, teacher and parents.

“I think formative assessment is really the way to go, because then you have a checkpoint really early on. The teacher has the data instantaneously, and can use it to better have an educational plan for a student,” says Dorn.

The study notes that formative testing not only boosts the performance of students on the lower end, but can improve achievement for all kids.

Dorn says he believes massive student testing at the end of a learning cycle, known as summative testing, can return some important information, but he says it is those checkpoints along the way that really boost a student’s learning.

“To get the information in October on how your kid was doing in May is not entirely useful, but getting that snapshot early on. That’s a better way,” Dorn says.

A consortium of state educators has come together in recent years to create a new system of tests. The federal government has pumped in some money to help in the development.

“There’s two national assessment systems going forward for common core. One is called Smarter balance, one is called Park. Both of them have a part to them that are formative assessment, so checkpoints along the year instead of having just one assessment at the end of the year,” said Dorn.

While the idea has been put on hold for the last year, Dorn says he still hopes to have a new testing system in pilot mode within two years and completely replace the current MSP (Measurements of Student Progress) in three years. It will take the legislature to pass a bill that would make Smarter Balance or Park the required state assessment.

The state of Washington has already started moving toward “end of course” exams for high school students rather than “end of year” testing. Dorn says there was a feeling in the legislature that giving students a test following a specific class, such as algebra or biology, would be a fairer determination of their learning than very broad exams that test a lot of different subjects at once, often long after the classes are over.

He is getting positive feedback from the education committees on the idea of adopting a new testing system. They are not looking at any bills on the subject right now, but Dorn says it is on their radar.

It could save the state a little money too. To replace just the current yearly testing the state is doing now, the cost per student would go from $42 to about $24. Any extra money could go toward purchasing the formative testing materials or, Dorn says, the state could just pocket the extra cash. They could continue the current system and let the individual schools or districts pick up that part of the bill.

Whether you agree or not, Dorn encourages you to contact your school board and state legislators. Let them know what you want to see at your local school.

“It’s public education, and so people’s voices and parent’s voices count.”

To read the “Washington State Diagnostic Assessment Guide,” get more information about required testing and find out how to contact the Superintendent’s office, check out these links.