Failing Our Most Important Standardized Test

In the education world we are subject to determining our school’s worth based on standardized tests.  If you do poorly on these assessments, you are often designated as a poorly performing school and mandated to improve.  When you do well, we often complain that the school had an unfair advantage.  Maybe they are funded better or the families in the district are better educated.  Either way, we are all expected to teach the standards and pass the tests.

While looking for a working example of our country's response to the current challenges of our nation, I realize that our country is approaching failing the most important test yet.  I'm not talking about our world rankings, which leave much to be desired.  I am talking about what is taught that is not being demonstrated as we face some of the most difficult days in my lifetime.

There was a time that social studies was actually on the state tests.  They are not now.  We have de-emphasized social studies, the arts and vocational subjects in favor of math, reading, and science.  Us social studies teachers felt a little slighted.  If you get bored and want to see what courses and topics are mandated in Illinois, you find out they are almost all related to social studies.  So this old dog decided to explore my learning standards and see what it is that our people have not learned based on public tension during the pandemic.

Not to insult, but I am a junior high principal so I am looking at middle school civics standards.  These are the least complex in the strand to show you how elementary our basic knowledge of being a good citizen is.  Some of our notable failures are bulleted underneath each standard.

SS.CV.1.6-8.LC:  Identify roles played by citizens (examples: voters, jurors, taxpayers, military, protesters and office holders)

• We cannot distinguish between protesters and looters.
• We do not know or realize that protesting is free speech.

SS.CV.4.6-8.LC:  Explain the connection between interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when addressing issues in government and society.

• We cannot value mail in voting and in person voting equally as a democratic necessity.
• We dismiss the connection between race and many instances of police brutality.

SS.CV.6.6-8.LC:  Determine whether specific rules and laws (both actual and proposed) resolve the problems they were meant to address. 

• Refusal to wear masks and follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
• We see safety restrictions as an infringement upon our freedoms and not a solution to a problem.

Lets be fair.  We are not all failing at this.  This is what happens to schools with standardized tests.  You may have many that do well, but you are all in the same boat at the end of the day.  The whole school gets the label whether it is good or bad.  So how do we improve upon this if we have de-emphasized social studies and civics on our fancy state tests?

The social studies standards in Illinois have made a change for the better in recent years.  They place a priority on participatory citizenship within the content.  I was impressed by this when I first read them, but disappointed in how many of my social studies colleagues had not seen them.  In many cases, they were not noticed until a teacher had to write a formal lesson plan for an evaluation.

If we want to prevent failing the most important standardized test, which is democracy, we have to promote and actively embrace civics as a core piece of the school curriculum.  We have done so with legislation, but in practice we still cling to boosting math and reading scores as a way off of those ugly lists connected to standardized tests.  Another way to do this is to partner with organizations like Generation Citizen to provide an action civics education.  Better yet, get your high school involved with YMCA Youth and Government to practice democracy at the state level.  Either way, you need to teach civics by doing.  

If the past six months have taught us anything, it is that we need to produce citizens that can critically think and independently make decisions regarding our current situation and whatever challenges they face in the future.  Once again schools are tasked with making things right.  Embrace the task folks.