The Important Things Learned Come from Experience

Fear and Respect

Third grade was an interesting year in that my circle of friends began to expand and I was able to participate in more independent activities. It was my first experience with organized sports, playing baseball the previous summer and basketball in the winter. I was walking up the street, or even to different neighborhoods, to play with friends. Mom no longer arranged play time and I was allowed to spend the night on Fridays. Third grade was the last year I would have just one teacher, Mrs. Horn. As a self-contained class, Mrs. Horn covered all subjects.

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Mrs. Horn was another in a line of compliance officers that I had through

most of elementary school.

Mrs. Horn was another in a line of compliance officers that I had through most of elementary school. She chewed on her tongue and seemed to glare at us throughout the day. I don’t recall disliking her but knew not to cross her. As I remember, most of the boys in her class had a similar regard for her firm stance. I don’t recall being sent to the office that year, which was not my experience in second or fourth grades. I only had women teachers then and typically responded best with those I perceived as nice. Mrs. Horn’s countenance made her the exception to that rule.

Third grade was simply another year to matriculate. The routine of school, morning assignments, morning recess, lunch, afternoon assignments, and afternoon recess, fit well into my afterschool routines with play in the woods around the house and reruns before dinner. At this stage I do recall looking forward to older grades, even junior high school. I recall having conversations with older kids in carpool where they brought home textbooks for homework. It was a rite of passage to get homework in fourth grade. I looked forward to it.

Ignoring What the Data Relly Tells Us

There is a great deal of data that has been going around since the beginning of the Standards Movement, this era of high stakes testing, that has indicated that third grade is the time when students develop a legacy of success or struggle that will follow them throughout their time in school. The argument goes that if students aren’t reading at grade level by third grade, they will be more likely to drop out in high school.

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The data that many politicians and educators ignore is that retaining students

Increases the likelihood of dropping out in high school.

Many states, particularly conservative ones, have determined that third graders will not move to fourth grade if they fail reading tests at the end of third grade. Part of the argument to use standardized tests to evaluate teachers is that this will create a greater sense of urgency meant to get teachers focused and students up to speed. The data that many politicians and educators ignore is that retaining students increases the likelihood of dropping out in high school.

A Manufactured Crisis

The tension created with this manufactured urgency has a profound negative impact on students. Third grade is typically the first-year students face end of year tests requiring them to navigate a series of “blind” reading passages, not reading based on prior knowledge. Instruction throughout this year is often focused on having students navigate such reading on a daily basis. Teachers then spend time reviewing the data with each student to point out deficits while test taking strategies become the priority. The mistaken assumption is that third graders will be motivated out of a fear of retention.

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As data showed struggling among third graders, the common remedy was

to begin similar district tests as early as kindergarten.

In North Carolina, the reading portion of the test, grades 3 through 8, included ten separate passages and as students matriculated the math problems included more word problems and fewer algorithms. These tests made the classroom environment very stressful for the students and teachers. Too many third graders lacked the stamina needed for 10 passages. Test anxiety became a real problem that could make test taking almost impossible for students. As data showed struggling among third graders, the common remedy was to begin similar district tests as early as kindergarten. The thinking was that third graders would then be better prepared and less anxious when in fact the opposite was true.

We Get What We Expect

The intensity just grew, particularly for students who struggled with these tests. More time was spent reading text that had no real context to student experience with little focus on inquiry. Math was taught in word problems based on the theory that this would improve problem solving skills. There is no evidence that any of these initiatives have worked. Test scores over the past three decades have remained stagnant.

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What we have discovered with testing is that it has simply reinforced a sense

of expected success or failure rather than a pathway to future

opportunity or improved performance.

The desire to learn is driven by motivation to inquire. What we have discovered with testing is that it has simply reinforced a sense of expected success or failure rather than a pathway to future opportunity or improved performance. The test results only motivated if the student was confident about the assessment. The results of these tests have revealed that at best they predict stulted progress while discouraging intellectual inquiry. As a result, third graders and teachers are now less willing to take risks in their learning and more focused on testing strategies. Content becomes secondary.