My thoughts on getting rid of U.S. History as a high school MAAP required test…
1. Testing has become a self-perpetuating commercial enterprise in many ways, no longer used to actually improve instruction in many places. Testing generates millions for certain companies and they have a vested interest in more assessments.
2. Of all the required standardized assessments required to be given by the state of Mississippi (ACT, MAAP Math for Grades 3-8, MAAP ELA for Grades 3-8, MKAS, 5th/8th Grade Science MAAP, Biology I, Algebra I, Universal Screeners, U.S. History, etc.), if there were one test that I would recommend removing as a requirement, IF the goal is truly to alleviate the testing burden on our students and instructional time lost, U.S. History would be my ABSOLUTE LAST CHOICE TO REMOVE.
3. The U.S. History MAAP test is taken almost exclusively by 11th graders with a few schools choosing to test students around the 9th grade. With the exception of the ACT, which the majority of students have taken for some years before it became a state requirement, there is no other required standardized tests that students have to worry about at this age level. Again, these are typically 16-17 year old students taking one test. This is in contrast to say 5th graders (age 10 to 11) who take THREE required end of year state assessments (Math, ELA, and Science). The students taking U.S. History have fewer state mandated tests to take otherwise and are at an age where the stress of taking the test is not as much of a burden as it is to younger student.
4. Not only is the high school U.S. History MAAP test given to students who have a somewhat lower standardized testing burden and who are of an age where there burden can in theory be more easily borne, it is the ONLY test required by the state that touches on anything about the history of our country, principles of democratic government, the struggle for civil rights for minorities, the Vietnam War, the rise/fall of communism, and the responsibilities of being a well-informed active citizen. In an era where we all seem to bemoan the fact that people seem to have much less knowledge than they should about all of these facts, the one single test that we are apparently ready to get rid of is the one test that actually drives instruction of these concepts. It is an unfortunate fact, that since history or social sciences are not assessed for accountability purposes before high school the subjects are unfortunately neglected or relegated to whatever time is left, after you cover the “tested subjects” such as ELA, Math, and to a somewhat lesser degree Science. With the potential removal of U.S. History knowledge from the accountability model, I certainly expect that somewhere there will be schools which place history further to the back-burner in regards to priority. Great schools with actively involved parents will continue to teach social sciences and the history of our country vigorously, but like it or not, there will be some who taper the time and effort put into the subject in some corners of the state. Without the accountability “stick” in place of knowing this knowledge will be assessed down the line, some schools will not pay attention to the “carrot” of teaching it vigorously because it is simply the right thing to do.
5. I am not against alleviating the amount of testing our schools have to administer, the money spent on them, and especially the amount of focus and priority “the test” becomes, as opposed to focusing on solid instruction. However, of all the state required tests to remove, of all the age level students to propose removing a test from, and of all the subjects that our country desperately needs students to be familiar about to face the political challenges of our current time, U.S. History seems to be the least desirable choice of any to remove completely. This may not be a popular opinion among some, but I believe it is the truth nonetheless.
6. The most unfortunate part of our current standardized testing saturated environment is not the testing itself, but the lack of meaningful use of what the testing results tell us. Unfortunately, state mandated test results in some places are often not used at all formatively to more effectively tailor instruction to increase student learning. Whether federally mandated, state mandated, district mandated, school mandated, or even grade or department mandated, all standardized testing is a loss of instructional time that is pointless, unless the data obtained from it is utilized in real meaningful ways to make for better, more engaging, and more effective classroom instruction.
The proposal to remove U.S. History MAAP testing for accountability may not be a bad thing and may be a good thing. But, the cost to benefit analysis of revising it as a requirement seems a bit less favorable than other actions. One in particular that comes to mind is the potential of removing the English II, Algebra I, and possibly even Biology I requirement in lieu of the ACT which is now required. That type of conversation would seem to make much more sense and be more effective at relieving more testing than removal of U.S. History, the lone test for accountability of anything related to future civic life and understanding the principles upon which our country was founded and has striven to more fully realize.
Just my personal two cents in regards to the proposal being looked at tomorrow by the Accountability Task-Force.
– Clint Stroupe
The Thinking Conservative Blog 