Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/94609
supplemental material and classroom discussions. Teacher A might get better scores — but whose students are more likely to have developed an enduring love of history and thus an appreciation for learning 10 years into the future?" TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES OUTRANK LEARNING AND TEACHING NEW CONCEPTS Abigail Sims' eighth-graders at Lovonya DeJean Middle School will be tested on sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade history on California Standards Tests (CSTs) this spring. At the beginning of the year, Sims polled students on the history they remembered from sixth grade. It wasn't much; many sixth-grade teachers skipped teaching history, since it's not on the sixth-grade STAR test. "Honestly, I spend about a week and a half every month on test prep," says Sims, United Teachers of Richmond. "When I teach a major concept, I ask the children how they think it will appear at the end of the year in test form. I can see their anxiety build. project-based learning, field trips, artwork tied to instruc- tion, and historical literature. Instead, she does a lot of "drill- and-kill" to make sure her students will be able to answer multiple-choice questions correctly. "At the beginning of the school year, I come to school with Sims prefers students spend time on library research, " a lot of cool ideas about how I want to creatively approach subject matter, going to do, but those images get trampled when there is so much focus on test scores." Adams agrees. A Bakersfield High School economics and " she says. "I have beautiful images of what I'm government teacher, he fears too much emphasis on test prep may diminish enthusiasm and creativity for teaching and learning. He believes testing should identify which parts of the curriculum are being successfully taught, so teachers can pin- point which units need fine-tuning and which need a complete overhaul. "It's a deflating prospect to realize that so much of modern teaching has devolved into a process of teaching for test success instead of life success," he says. The Kern High School Teachers Association member prepares students for the CSTs as well as the California High School Exit Exam for graduation and sometimes Advanced Placement tests. Adams gives students tips for passing multiple-choice "I can see my students learning, but they didn't hit the magic number on that one important test," says Jesusa López, here helping Shalim Sanchez. Adults do wild things to motivate students to do well on tests Fresno school staff shaved their heads, jumped in swimming pools and wore costumes as rewards. In Los Angeles, a school administrator dyed his hair blue. Sacramento elementary students received a visit from Steve Miller Band lead singer Kenny Lee Lewis who performed at a "Rock the STAR" assembly. exams. "If you have a question that involves Stalin, Hitler, war or disease, the answer is likely negative. If you have a question about democracy, art or Lincoln, the answer is likely positive." "There is an unfortunate propensity to cover the informa- tion that is likely to appear on the CST exam, the standards, and redundantly cover it. The unfortunate consequence: There is a lack of in-depth historical analysis," he adds. "There is little time to read a speech by Lincoln, act out a scene from Sophocles, or partake in a class discussion about current events that are germane to the realm of history, all of which can easily get pushed aside in the pursuit of bubbling in the correct answer come April. " November 2012 www.cta.org 19 Abigail Sims wants to make learning fun. She sees students' anxiety build with "drill-and-kill" tactics to better take multiple-choice tests.