Student's Speech about EOI Testing

1. Introduction
1. “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.”
1. This is the problem with standardized testing in America, standard being the root word.
2. It expects me to have the same skill set as every other student, similar to the way this fish was expected to  be equally as adept at a monkey’s skill solely because they are both animals.
3. Standardized testing creates a one-size-fits-all complex that does not cater to individuals with unique strengths and weaknesses. Instead it demands a “manufactured student” because the most important information tends not to be what the test does measures, but rather what the test cannot.
2. In the early days of standardized testing, these assessments were a quick, quantifiable way to evaluate an insurgence of students that came about with the Industrial Revolution.
1. However, generations have changed, and likewise standardized testing has evolved to meet the modern curriculum and “demand” of advancing generations, yet these tests use the same, now antiquated platform for high stakes testing.
2. Using this outdated platform in major current-day decisions is unfair to students, teachers, and taxpayers
3. Therefore, I believe high stakes testing, specifically end of instruction tests, should be eliminated from all Oklahoma high schools.

1. Hurts Students
1. EOIs are supposed to have a positive outcome for students by verifying that they are receiving the quality education to which they are entitled, but is this the true effect that results from a high stakes test?
1. High stakes testing creates an undesirable and stressful environment, two conditions that can hinder the learning process.
2. Studies show that elementary students reported significantly higher levels of anxiety over No Child Left Behind (NCLB) assessments than  regular classroom tests incorporated into the curriculum (Segool et al).
2. After all, even a third grader can understand what unsatisfactory means about himself and other people’s perception toward him.
1. Society tells us these tests define who we are intellectually, and they become a sort of academic identity.
2. This leads students who score unsatisfactory into a cycle of academic mediocrity because they believe society when it says, “This number is the most to which you will ever equate. You are a failure,” and unfortunately this normally becomes a vast scene of wasted potential, yet one of the largest problems surrounding standardized testing is its inability to recognize a basic human trait called individuality because one size does not fit all in testing nor the classroom.

1. Degraded Education
1. The quality of education the youth is receiving has been degraded in response to standardized testing.
1. Educators get so wrapped up in the standards on the test that they forget to teach students the truly important skills like reasoning and innovation.
2. Furthermore, testing is not teaching, and completing test prep is not learning.
3. What happened to higher order thinking like analysis, synthesis, and true critical thinking.
4. Memorization and regurgitation is the lowest form of learning, yet it is what we use in preparation for the  EOI’s multiple choice format.
5. Moreover, real life is not as simple as selecting A, B, C, or D.
2. High stakes testing narrows the curriculum and attention of teachers.
1. They become so concerned with the outcome of these assessments that they tend to manufacture students rather than shape and cultivate their learning.
2. Additionally, students who are considered advanced or too behind to catch up receive less attention in the final stretch before testing, because teachers are too consumed trying to help students on the border of passing and failing.
3. EOIs are not benefiting the students; they are suffering from the repercussions.

1. Teacher Evaluations
1. However I am not here to place the blame on teachers the way EOIs do.
1. It is simply human nature to do everything possible to protect the security of one’s job, especially when the evaluation system is irrational.
2. The problem with using End of Instruction testing as a teacher assessment is they are based on students’ total learning experience and don’t take into account noncognitive factors that affect test performance.
3. Since we were in grade school, we have been told that education is like a pyramid.
4. All the skills that we learn build off of each other, so why does an algebra teacher take the fall for a student who never learned his time tables in third grade.
2. Noncognitive factors such as personal habits and values, dedication, perseverance, hunger and sleep also play a role in test results.
1. Teachers take the fall for a student who is constantly in ISD because he barely knows right from wrong.
2. Teachers take the fall for a student who could not concentrate during the test because he hasn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch.
3. Teachers take the fall for a student who can’t stay awake because he couldn’t find anywhere to sleep last night.
4. This is the type of accountability that is placed on teachers as a result of our culture of standardized testing; EOI test results are not an accurate teacher evaluation system; they are unfair to teachers and taxpayers.

1. Taxpayer and Education Companies
1. Did you know that public education is a $750 billion market
1. However, this seems to be the only market where the customers are not surveyed about their satisfaction toward the product.
2. Instead, decisions regarding public education and testing are made for us, and this goes back to the 1960’s and earlier.
2. Around the same time  as the Johnson administration's “War on Poverty”  began, the National Assessment of Education Progress was created, and schools began administering this assessment in 1969.
1. Later in 1983 a publication called “A Nation at Risk” said that standardized tests like these proved schools were failing, teachers were failing, students were failing.
2. What is the solution to a failing education system: new textbooks, workbooks, teacher training, resources, and of course more standardized testing.
3. Millions of taxpayer dollars have gone toward this education bureaucracy, and the only party who benefits from these tests and related academic purchases are for profit private education companies like Pearson and CTB/Mcgraw-Hill.
1. These companies aren’t based on long-term student success; there simply isn’t any money in that.
2. Moreover these companies are known for making time consuming and costly mistakes such as the server crash of 2013.
3. These EOIs are unfair to taxpayers; therefore I believe they should be removed from all Oklahoma schools.

1. Alternative
1. However, regardless of the way I feel, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that some form of a standardized test be administered to students of our age; therefore, I propose that we replace End of Instruction testing with the ACT.
1. Last year, the government spent nearly $7 million on the EOI.
2. If the EOI were replaced by the ACT, the state of Oklahoma would save $5,402,059 per year on testing, which means more money could go directly to the students instead of private education companies.
2. Furthermore, 73% of Oklahoma high school students took the ACT in 2013.
1. This makes using the ACT more efficient by eliminating the extraneous EOI test.
2. Also, the number of tests and amount of time spent testing would significantly decrease, therefore reducing student stress and creating a better learning environment.
3. Finally, student portfolios should be used for teacher assessments
1. because they will give a more accurate evaluation of an educator's teaching ability.
2. After all, test results cannot replace teacher expertise.

1. Counter Arguments
1. Despite the large number of benefits that would result from replacing EOIs with the ACT, some people still hold to this antiquated system of student examination,
1. one reason being the ACT measures college readiness, not high school-level proficiency.
2. However, how can a student pass a college entrance exam without adequate mastery of high school-level skills?
3. College readiness exams are made to measure high school skills.
2. Students also have reservations about the time constraints placed on the ACT.
1. I have personally taken the ACT, and I’m not going to say that it is easy.
2. Time management is one of the most important skills that we need to learn in high school to prepare us for college or our careers.

1. Conclusion
1. In conclusion, End of Instruction Tests provide inadequate information for student and teacher evaluation, and are unfair to taxpayers.
2. Ultimately, they are hurting the students and our education system.
3. EOIs should be eliminated in all Oklahoma schools.

Teacher Appreciation Week!

     This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Each day, I will blog about a teacher who made a difference in my life. The first teacher is my dad who was my high school principal and driver's ed. teacher. He taught thirty years in Oklahoma and fifteen years in Texas. Even though my dad made me sit on two books while driving in driver's ed. and scared off any possible boyfriends, he showed me and the other students in school a respectful, caring attitude and expected us to have high standards for ourselves. He was always there to help anyone who needed assistance  like taking students home, picking them up if they needed a ride to school, paying for groceries, or just listening to them. He went above and beyond the typical definition of a teacher, and students and teachers respected him. When there is something going on in Oklahoma education, I always call him for advice. Even though he is retired, he has enough teaching wisdom to share with people in education. Thanks, dad, for making an impact on my life and the lives of the students at Big Pasture Public School.

    The next teacher who made an impact on my life was my science teacher, James Keeter. Science was my favorite class in high school. It was hands-on with little lecture. I remember one time when we had to have an insect collection. We met at the school around 6:00 in the morning, and Mr. Keeter drove us out to Cache Creek north of Randlett. We sat around a camp fire, and he made us breakfast. After we ate, it was time to collect some insects. We were only there a couple of hours, but I have never forgotten it. Mr. Keeter taught like there was no box, always pushed us to do our best, and made us laugh. Thank you, Mr. Keeter, for your dedication as a teacher. Even though I became an English teacher, I love science because of you.

    A couple of my former students have made an impact on my teaching. They chose the teaching profession and ended up teaching at their alma mater. Heather Murr teaches Spanish I and uses a lot of creative ideas to help her students not only learn Spanish but also have an appreciation for the culture. Some of her creative ideas include requiring students to explain in Spanish how to make a food dish, using game stations that help students learn the language, and using any form of technology to help with delivering the curriculum. Amber Dewinter teaches Oklahoma History and coaches soccer. She is not afraid to try something and if it does not work, try something else. She even required her students to write a research paper, which was a perfect example of writing across the curriculum. Thanks to both of them for inspiring me to try new ideas and helping me get through another year of teaching.