Noel Hesser, Gloria Dei Lutheran school, Sacramento, CA

Many educators now cringe at the mention of standardized testing. In California and other states, such assessments as the SAT 9 (soon to be replaced by yet another) are now part of a high-stakes game where no one—least of all the children being tested—is the winner. Too often, assessment is becoming the driving force behind curriculum. Since only reading and math are assessed in some districts, science and social studies are neglected in the daily curriculum (if they are taught at all). The anxiety level of teachers, students, and parents in many schools has risen because of the pressure to increase test scores. Now the courts are becoming involved as schools and individuals are being marginalized (with financial repercussions) because scores did not meet expectations.

These developments are unfortunate, but they illustrate what can happen when any facet of the complex educational process is given too much emphasis. Are standardized tests valuable? Or is the process so flawed or antiquated that they need to be phased out? When we review test scores at the end of each year, I tell parents that the tests do have value when we look at them as one piece in a complex puzzle. We all know that a child may achieve stellar scores on a SAT 9 test but have miserable grades in the classroom. Or the reverse may be true. We also know that students in different socio-economic or ethnic groups may score differently because the tests may not be normed to recognize this diversity. Nevertheless, they do provide that one piece—an achievement score that compares students to a norm. However flawed the norming process may be, if we place the value of the test in context and recognize its limitations, it can offer insights. To dispense with testing would be to deprive schools, teachers, administrators, students, and parents this insight, as well as a certain amount of accountability—again, placed in reasonable context.

This is a distinct advantage of Lutheran schools. We can place standardized testing in its appropriate place without unnecessary pressure. Without this pressure, we can develop curriculum that we feel is age-appropriate and meets student needs or addresses current standards—whether or not the test will specifically assess that curriculum.

At Gloria Dei Lutheran School in Sacramento, we currently use the SAT 9 and OLSAT 9 assessments. As the administrator, I can watch trends in annual results. I can offer results to prospective parents as one objective standard. We know we are good—but no new parent wants to make a commitment based on hearsay. We can help parents see where general strengths or weaknesses may exist with individual students. We can show that growth is happening. One student may demonstrate low achievement, but if he entered at a lower level and is growing, the picture looks better than might otherwise appear. If a student is stagnant in growth, it may indicate a learning disability. Or it may not. The point is that the test offers one piece of information. Taken in concert with all other facets, and they are numerous, test results do have value. As private educators, we have the freedom to use standardized tests responsibly as they should be used to better understand the students and programs they assess—but only as one facet of the very complex process of Christian education.

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