Survey: Educators worry about 'teaching to test'

By Pat Etheridge
CNN Parenting Correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The latest report card on U.S. schools is a mixed bag, according to a sweeping national survey in Education Week. Efforts to raise standards are beginning to pay off, but concerns still run deep over the emphasis on "teaching to test."

"I think actually the good news is that they are beginning to show results in the classroom but the bad news is that the tests are looming too large," said Virginia Edwards, the editor of Education Week.

	MESSAGE BOARD
Changes in education

In the 50-state poll of public school teachers, 74 percent said the level of standards in their states is "about right." But about seven in 10 feel instruction emphasizes state tests "far" or "somewhat" too much. Close to half of the teachers report spending "a great deal" of time preparing their students in test-taking skills.

"I think that the balance is needed so that you're not taking away from the work of the instruction in the classroom," said Edwards.

The report gives states an overall grade of "C," in a review of setting student standards, measuring learning and holding schools accountable for results.

Many of the teachers polled reported that student and teacher behavior is changing, in part, because of state standards. When asked to compare the current situation to three years earlier:

Almost eight in ten teachers said the curriculum is "somewhat" or "a lot" more demanding of students.

More than six in 10 felt the expectations for what students learn are "somewhat" or "a lot" higher.

More than six in 10 said students are writing more and almost half report students are reading more.

The report also found that states may be rushing to hold students and schools accountable without providing essential support.

"Our concern is that unless states balance the pressures they're now putting on schools and students with the training and materials needed to do the job, their high expectations won't be realized, said Edwards. "And public support for public education, in general, could be undermined."

The survey, called Quality Counts 2001, is supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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California Standardized Testing and Reporting
National Education Association - Standardized Testing
Kid Source Online - What Should Parents Know About Standardized Testing in Schools?
The Pew Charitable Trusts

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