ToquiNotes: BHS Principal Unloads on Smarter Balanced Testing; Gives Entire Process Failing Grade
By Jeff Toquinto on May 23, 2015
I can’t remember who it was, but I had a conversation a few years ago with an individual who proclaimed that when it came to testing, “nothing could ever be worse than the Westest.” I wonder what that person’s thoughts would be today in the first year of the highly popular Smarter Balanced Assessment testing taking place in our local school system under the equally popular Common Core standards that are in place.
For the benefit of those that don’t know me, the “popular” comments above are pure sarcasm. And for that individual I talked to a couple of testing cycles ago, I’m pretty sure they would admit they found something that is worse than the Westest.
Whether it’s the Westest or the new Smarter Balanced testing, yours truly can’t tell you how bad it is. I’m way far removed from being in the classroom and have no children that have been involved with the past or current testing. In the interest of full disclosure I’m not a huge fan of huge standardized testing as the only thing I remember from my own days in the classroom as that you needed a very sharp No. 2 leaded pencil.
Here’s what I can say. The near universal opinion is that it’s bad. Not just bad, but real bad, horrible, and any other synonym one can think of that falls in line with “it stinks.” Sure, I know there are proponents of the testing out there, but they’re harder to find the five-leaf clovers and most aren’t making their opinions known loudly or often in the public forum.
Here’s the thing: People, particularly parents, are making their opinions known on this testing that is taking place in grade school all the way up to the 11th grade. The opinion is pretty consistent and as listed above the opinion is that it stinks.
In fact, it’s upset so many that the complaints aren’t just coming from parents who complain about everything. They’re coming from parents who complain about little and they’re coming from educators who often keep the company line due to a sense of loyalty to their job or students or other reasons. And most lately, the comments were courtesy of Bridgeport High School Principal Mark DeFazio.
DeFazio not only said he is “disillusioned” about the entire new testing process, but sought yours truly out to voice his opinion. The fact that a highly respected educator with decades in the teaching field under his belt that has seen every type of standardized testing imaginable wanted to come forward and be heard speaks volumes. And what DeFazio said on from what I can tell is either a set of good 
intentions gone awry or some bureaucratic bungle that no one immediately knows how to fix is something most should listen to.
intentions gone awry or some bureaucratic bungle that no one immediately knows how to fix is something most should listen to.
So what does DeFazio think about the new testing and Common Core?
“Even if this new testing wasn’t creating the issues it’s creating, it would have been difficult because it’s under Common Core and it has such a negative perception with the public. It’s been that way from the beginning,” said DeFazio. “With that alone, you would have a hard time overcoming the concerns with anything to do under Common Core.”
DeFazio isn’t stretching the truth when he says that Common Core isn’t well liked by the public. But the new testing that went into place this year as part of Common Core is causing problems, said DeFazio. The problems go from interrupting the educational system as a whole and interfering with the ability to teach students.
“Whenever I turn around, the federal government or the state is mandating that we have to give some type of test and now we have this,” said DeFazio earlier this week. “We’re going on close to four weeks of testing and, honestly, it’s just ridiculous.”
Understand, DeFazio knows he could get the testing over earlier than the time frame he’s mentioned above. And he’s not trying to insinuate the every kid is taking tests for four weeks.
As it stands at Bridgeport High School, DeFazio has decided his students won’t do testing in the afternoon. All testing is done in the morning, which has added more weeks to the testing process.
“Doing the testing just half a day is disruptive enough so you have two choices. You can test all day and get it over quicker or do it half a day and take longer,” said DeFazio. “I just don’t like an entire day of testing.”
DeFazio said the most that any kid is tested is five days. He said that some may think that’s not a lot, but the fact that the Smarter Balanced testing has to be done on computers and thus in labs filled with computers is one of just many problems.
“Five days of testing doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re testing 9th grade through 11th grade and give five different tests it takes time,” said DeFazio. “We don’t have enough computers to do the entire school at once and even if we were to get enough computers you’d have to have labs to put them in. It was much easier and probably showed just as much on assessing students when we used a pencil and paper, but no one asked me my opinion on this before we got started. I’m pretty sure no one on my teaching staff was asked either.”
DeFazio believes the losers in this are ultimately the kids. And the ones more frustrated than him are his teachers.
“Good teachers want to be in the classroom teaching kids. That’s their job and that’s what they’re good at,” said DeFazio. “I think they understand here as in most places that there is a need for assessment, but to have something lasting at a school for weeks that disrupts the entire learning atmosphere is the reason everyone is frustrated and why a lot of people are just fed up. For those that say it doesn’t disrupt school, I don’t care. I’ll be glad to tell them that it most certainly disrupts the entire school.”
DeFazio said he’s dismayed with more than just the testing. He’s dismayed with what he said is government’s decision to allow opting out as an option.
“If the test is that important, why aren’t they mandating everyone take it? It shouldn’t be left at the feet of (Harrison County Schools Superintendent) Dr. (Mark) Manchin. If they send it to us because it matters, then it should matter for everyone,” said DeFazio. “The federal and state government is looking for that silver bullet to improve testing, but they’re not looking in the right place.”
DeFazio said the answer to educational success stories and educational woes are located in one place – the home. He attributes much of Bridgeport High School’s educational success to parents that get involved. DeFazio said he sees it now and has seen it at other places that more often than not that a child failing to learn has a home that doesn’t care if they learn.
“The truth is that some parents don’t value education and don’t respect teachers like they once did. It’s not every parent or every home, but there are too many that don’t make children study or do their homework,” said DeFazio. “A child can’t value education if they’re shown at home an education isn’t valuable. Instead of trying to find a way to address that, they give us this new testing. Perhaps the easiest thing would be to educate parents that have no time for their child’s education.”
DeFazio doesn’t know what the future holds. But he said he’s seen the frustration from his staff and the students as the result of this testing like nothing he’s ever seen before.
“Good teachers, whether they’re here at Bridgeport Middle or our elementary schools, just want to teach. That’s their passion. Why won’t we allow them to do what they were trained to do? I can tell you I’m as frustrated with this as anything I’ve ever encountered,” said DeFazio. “ … If I had to sum up this experience in a word it would be disillusioned. I’m sure others are as well.”
Editor's Note: Top photo shows BHS Principal Mark DeFazio, while Harrison County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Manchin is shown in the bottom picture.
The federal govt. Should have no role in education. Mr. Defazio is right on. Even when I taught we wasted too much time testing and its worse now. Congrats mark for having the guts to speak out against something that does not help the kids one bit.
Posted by tom fogg
May. 23, 2015 at 7:25 AM EST
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