Standardized Testing – Is it Costing Creativity?
When I started elementary school we still had recess, art, music and interaction with our teachers. Kids knew each other and we weren’t afraid about being in school. Our parents could come and pick us up directly from our classrooms without stopping at the office first. I know times have changed, people have changed and our focus on education has changed. I am beginning to question that focus. Schools focus so much on standardized tests I think they have forgotten the true importance of being a child.
Schools standardized testingcan mean empty playgrounds!
School standardized testing is a wonderful thing but at what point do we say enough and remember that creativity and ingenuity are the backbones of our country. Gawker reported an interesting story today, “ACT Report only finds 1 in 4 high school graduates actually college-ready.” The ACT is the school standardized testing used in high schools. It shows college readiness across four subjects; science, math, reading and English. The report, that the ACT released, states that only one out of four high school graduates are college ready this year.
Schools have changed so much. They fear everything (totally understandable) and accept little from students. They are so hard pressed to meet current standards that they have become out of touch with the world of today. I am from Oklahoma. Supposedly, I have Oklahoma pride. I can’t say I have that pride when I read about my state being out of touch with the world. Just this week, KJRH out of Tulsa reported “Oklahoma valedictorian’s diploma withheld for cursing“
Kaitlin Nootbaar referenced the popular Twilight movies in her valedictorian speech. In her speech, she spoke about graduating and what she wanted to do with her life after high school. She said, “How the hell should I know? I’ve changed my mind so many times.” It was a reference to the popular movies. The school system didn’t approve and is now withholding her diploma until she writes them a letter of apology.
Schools can make opportunities!!
Refocus on education
My son is now three-years-old. He will be starting school next year and his future concerns me. Our educational system is focusing more on school standardized testing and less on creativity. I believe creativity is one of our greatest assets. Creativity is what helps us in adulthood find solutions to problems. Unfortunately, our teachers are hard pressed to even know our children anymore. Many schools across the nation have done away with arts, music and recess. Middle schools and high schools have become nothing more than a holding ground for teens until adulthood. I know standardized testing isn’t the entire problem but it is some of it.
As a father I know, we can’t depend on the schools as the main source of our child’s creativity. Their future success depends on being able to show originality when they are still young. Many parents forget how important it is being creative as a child.
5 Ways for creativity
1. Turn off the electronics – Children spend far too much time in front of the television and video games and need more interactive and creative play.
2. Art supplies – Get out the crayons, glue, colored paper, glitter, scissors and create something. Ask your child questions about what they are making while they are doing it. Don’t just sit back and watch your child being creative, become creative with them.
3. Hobbies – Try to include your child in your hobbies, e.g. sports, cars, gardening, cooking and reading. I have enjoyed comic book collecting for a number of a years. I will show my son the comics and read from the comics to him. I will ask him questions about what he sees and what he believes is going to happen (sometimes I think he has a better ending than the comic book does)
4. Make a mess- As adults it’s easy to forget how much fun it is to get messy. Children have to experience some things first hand and that includes messy things. Let them make a mess the next time they ask too. My son recently wanted to finger paint. I got out a big plastic drop cloth and covered the entire kitchen table. We then placed sheets of paper on the table and he finger painted himself and the paper.
5. Make believe – Make it up as you as go along. Creativity is all part of the imagination. If you can visualize it, you can might be able to create it. My son has started telling me what he see’s in clouds. He might see a car or a house. I then will add to it. I find another cloud and tell him what I see. We might even make up a story about it.
I don’t have the answers to change our nation and schools standardized testing policies but all evidence is showing something needs to change. If we don’t it is possible we will have a lost generation of creativity and ingenuity.Where would we be if we never had another Thomas Edison? I think for now I will continue to work with my son on creativity.
How do you feel about school standardized testing? Do you think too much emphasize is placed on testing? Does your school system place any emphasize on creativity? Be sure to tell me in the comments.
Be sure to check out Andi-Roo at TheWorld4Realz who is writing about a month of controversy in the A to Z +1 August blogging challenge with me! Today is the letter “S” for School Standardized Testing – Does it work?.
Tags: act report, college readiness, high schools, oklahoma pride, standardized testing
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YOU ARE RIGHT!!! I’m a school teacher, and believe me, teachers are worried about the same issues. Our hands are tied with ropes & chains. The teachers I know try to eek in some art & creative lessons whenever we can, but it’s not often enough.
Your list of things parents can do is right on! I will share this post. I also have a blog & would love to use this post, giving you the credit. Would that be all right?
http://www.empowernetwork.com/pamschmidt/
Pam,
I am so glad you liked it! I would be happy for you to share with your network to giving me credit and a link back to dadblunders site is all i would ask. I actually had more wanted to say in this article and am seriously considering a second part about the same topic some time in the near future.
Aaron
Pam,
I have been trying to leave a comment on your blog but it won’t let me. I thought you might want to know. Facebook keeps rejecting it….
Aaron
testing
Amen! Having pretty serious concerns about our local school, my husband and I opted to enroll out son in a Montessori school. I participate on the funding board for the school and found to my surprise that there is a common denominator among many of the kids there – their parents are public school teachers or college professors. Our original plan was just through Kindergarten, but after 2 days a week there, our then 3-year-old had nearly mastered a 60 word list teachers hope kids have mastered by the end of Kindergarten. You’d think there was a great pressure for reading. But 9 times out of 10 when I walk in to pick him up, he’s painting. The philosophy of giving kids free reign on their curiosity to entice them into learning works. SO many of the kids there play instruments, create visual art, or engage in creative writing that it’s not even funny. Now we can’t bear to take him away and put him in a school where the world revolves around the clock and rote memorization. And a number of studies show that these kids perform better on the college level as well, since they have already learned ho to learn by self direction.
Lynnette,
I couldn’t agree more! I know when we lived in KC a few years ago they had closed almost all of the magnet schools because of funding and they had done away with recess for the kids. I wondered then what the future held for them. I know that creative is very important when we are younger. I also find interesting that the change in our standards happened in the 90′s when the rest of the world was going to standardized testing. The U.S felt they were falling behind so we shifted gears and copied the rest of the world.
Now large parts of the same countries have determined there were no benefits and it was actually detrimental to childhood development and they have gone back to more creative learning. They actually are copying the style we did away with. A very strange turn of events and I have considered making a part 2 to this article based on that. I normally keep a large part of things write somewhat humorous but upon
occasion I will take off on a serious tangent and this was one of those
times!
Aaron
I agree with you.
What happened long ago, when there wasn’t all this standardized testing?
Those people back then created all the industries and text book that we see today.
Let creativity flow!
Daniel,
It certainly wouldn’t surprise me. I always wonder things like that when it comes to a major change for schools or any other social environment. I always wonder if money is changing hands and how much….sigh…
Aaron
My daughter is now 21 years old and I saw all the standardized testing going on. I hated it. All the kids do is study for what’s going to be on the test. Here they even cut out recess completely even at lunch they had to stay inside the cafeteria the entire 30 minutes they are given. If I knew then what I do now..I would have homeschooled my daughter.
Mary,
Totally understand…I am not overly fond of the overuse of standardized testing. I don’t mind some but I know that not all kids test the same so I think it is not an accurate measurement of all children’s performance.
Aaron
Hmm, I’m on both sides of the fence on a couple topics here:
- I still believe in standarized tests as one way to draw a comparison between college applicants. It should not be the “end-all”, and I think colleges should heavily weigh extra-curricular activities and work experience because they provide depth to the students’ development. However, it is one of the few measures that isn’t subjective.
- I understand how it can be annoying withholding the valedictorian’s diploma. However, I also grew up in South Texas where the boys’ hair had to be top of the ear / top of the collar. You were not allowed to wear T-shirts promoting alcohol or even bands with “suspect morals”. I was valedictorian, and they made me cut my hair before I could graduate. Upon reflection, I appreciate those boundaries…and wish this generation of kids had those same boundaries. I’d like to know I could correct a kid vandalizing public property without fearing their parents will sue me for everything I’m worth. I can’t stand our litigious, amoral, entitled society…while still loving all the good this country has to offer. There are times I just wish we were a little more “old-school”.
I absolutely agree that alternate paths of education should be available, and that we should not lose sight of the arts and physical education. I also think that scoring high in those disciplines should trump standardized test scores because they may be the “avenue out of a situation” for some students (musicians, artists, athletes).
Thanks for the post, Aaron.
Brian,
My problem with standardization is that until sometime in the late 90′s the U.S. actually placed a heavier emphasize on creativity base. They changed because the rest of the world at the time placed a heavier emphasize on standardization and the U.S felt they were falling behind. The funny thing about that is a big majority of the world has now done a 180 and figured out that pure standardization does not work and went to the method that the U.S. was using.
I grew up in SW Oklahoma so I understand the boundaries. I appreciate them but at the same time I am also the type that appreciate and value everyone for who they are. A good example would be myself you wouldn’t know easily but I have 3 tattoos (I just got the 3rd recently) and I know there are places that wouldn’t hire you because of it. My personal opinion is that if someone wouldn’t hire me because of that they would miss out on a darn good employee. So, I am kinda of on the fence on the with the expressionism. Just my opinion though…..
Aaron
I agree. So much weight is put on the testing and numbers. I wanted to hold my son back 3x and they wouldn’t let me do it. I know it was because they were concerned about their numbers and forced him to move on. He’s in 8th grade now, but still struggles. I think it’s important to find out where kids are at academically, but how to do that without putting pressure on the teachers & students and school districts is something I don’t know how it can be done.
Mimi,
I agree that there is so much weight placed on testing and numbers anymore that I think its a little bit overdone. I think we are missing out on creativity and ingenuity. Every child is different and if all we do is ask for standardization how will we ever see the true potential of a child?
Aaron