The return to instruction has not been easy and teachers and school faculty have done a commendable job creating virtual and face-to-face learning environments for students. The goal is to ensure instruction moves forward as students prepare for state testing in the Spring. Passing the test is usually the primary indicator of success in public schools. However, given the current circumstances, perhaps success needs to be redefined.
I chatted with a teacher friend who was saddened by how academically low her first-grade students are. None knew all their letters, shapes, or more than a few colors. Thankfully, the children are receiving instruction in the classroom. The fact they are so low is sad, but there is a more tragic component at play here.
What many people don’t know is, students as young as first grade are identified early to determine if they are predicted to past the state test in third grade. The children in my friend’s class are on the “Not expected to pass” list. What this means is, these children are not an academic priority to the district. They are not likely to pass the state test so resources and efforts are directed where it will be most useful to district priorities. No teacher, administrator or district representative will say this on or off the record, but this is the reality in public schools.
As educators, it is professionally and ethically unconscionable to proceed through the school year essentially leaving children like those in my friend’s class behind. Perhaps this is the season where success in public education includes academic progress as opposed to just passing the state test. District officials may insist student progress is an indicator of success in public schools, and in some ways, it is, but not to the degree it should be. Passing the state test is the real crown jewel of academic success.
Now is a good time to apply a competency-based approach to education for students who are academically behind. This would allow teachers to teach students what they don’t know and add new skills as students master them. Instruction can be individualized and self-paced (within parameters) so students can learn what they are lacking.
The quality of education will not be what it should be in this season of virtual, hybrid and face-toface learning. Test scores in Spring will likely reveal how much authentic learning was missed all year despite school faculty’s herculean efforts to ensure students are learning. If success is redefined to promote student achievement and closing academic gaps over passing the state test, school administrators have a shot at experiencing the growth and success they seek.
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