UFT: Test Prep Doesn’t Make the Grade

Dear Colleagues,

Teachers were instructed in recent years to focus their attention on student prep for state tests.

Together, we sounded the alarm that this approach would lead to “teaching to the test” and come at the cost of real learning. It’s no secret that students would pay that cost.

But you, the members of this union, followed the instructions and strategy set out by this administration. You did your job, and state test scores rose dramatically.

Now, results from the highly respected National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that New York City 4th graders made no progress in math and the gains for 8th graders were statistically insignificant from 2007 to 2009. Most disturbing, according to the NAEP results, the racial achievement gaps are as large as they were in 2003. The evidence is clear that the concerns that we have been voicing have come true.

We have heard endlessly from the administration that the sole reason our students gained ground was because of the DOE’s test-focused approach to education. They led the public to believe that in fact we were closing the achievement gap. Clearly that is not the case.

The administration has made this flawed state test data the key barometer for everything from school progress reports and teacher bonuses to school closings. Now it even wants to use this data to decide teacher tenure. But its approach is fundamentally flawed, because state test results are not aligned with true learning. Teaching to the test doesn’t promote intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and problem-solving in students, nor does it quench the thirst for new ideas or ignite that spark in children’s minds when they finally grasp a difficult concept. We need to prepare our students for college, work and life — not for taking tests.

We have asked new State Education Commissioner, David Steiner, who has criticized the state tests, and other education authorities to work with us to help the DOE come up with a new strategy that can lead to real learning for our children. By investing in the development of deep, rigorous curricula that promote comprehensive learning rather than in test prep, we can provide children with the education they deserve and need to succeed.

I will keep you posted on these important issues as they develop.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew