03 Feb Putting the testing cart before the standards horse
By Dale Chu
In what was hopefully the last major skirmish involving the Common Core State Standards (what year are we in?), Florida just announced recommendations for revisions to their state standards following a yearlong review initiated at the governor’s direction. The new standards are now public, but the playbook followed by the Sunshine State was painfully predictable.
When Florida initially announced in 2019 their intention to “overhaul” their standards to “remove all vestiges” of Common Core, I couldn’t help but think about some of the famous battles in history that were fought after the war ended. Prior to the age of fast ships and other advances that sped up communication, it wasn’t unusual for months to elapse before breaking news reached the field. What was Florida’s excuse?
All kidding aside, states that have undergone similar “standards review” histrionics invariably arrive at the conclusion, among others, that testing must be reduced. To wit, Florida’s summary document includes the recommendation to “streamline testing” in “innovative ways.” (Would the alternative have been to do so in an uncreative or unimaginative manner?) Using assessment as a standards boogeyman seems par for the course, but it conveniently elides the fact that high-stakes testing has been with us far longer than the Common Core.
The upshot is that high quality tests flow from high quality standards. In point of fact, the Common Core engendered significant advancements over the previous generation of assessments. Thanks to higher standards, many state tests measure more ambitious content and employ more item types and formats to better engage students. In other words, it’s the “standards” horse that pulls the “testing” cart.
To be clear, the process for creating and revising standards is separate from the work to develop and implement assessments. Nevertheless, it’s ideal for the two to complement one another. Blaming assessments for bad standards, real or perceived, has it exactly backwards. We really ought to stop demonizing one in response to the other.
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