August 3, 2011
Can Johnny Read? CA bill would eliminate standardized tests for 2nd grade students
By Gloria Romero, DFER CA State Director
Remember a long time ago when educators were asking why Johnny couldn't read? Well now in California, it appears that there is a major push to delay learning how well Johnny can read in the first place.
Early assessments are essential to get kids like Johnny on track to succeed in school. These assessments provide critical data that help schools identify which kids need extra help and use best practices to help them get to grade level proficiency.
SB 740, a bill pushed by the California Teachers Association, is quickly moving through the California Legislature, which would eliminate standardized second grade testing. SB 740 eliminates a valuable early assessment mechanism for teachers and parents. Without the data from the second grade assessment, we will be less likely to know exactly which students need extra help. And we will likely have more schools that fail to close achievement gaps and allow students--especially low income and minority students--to fall further behind.
Legislators and supporters of the bill argue that it makes sense to do away with second grade testing because young children face the possibility of being labeled a "failure." Does it serve California's children any better to find out in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade that they are not acquiring the reading skills they need to be academically successful? Need I remind you that the reading proficiency rates for most African American and Latino students already hovers far below basic levels of proficiency, and that the proportion of students from these groups who achieve at proficient or above is less than one in five? Our state may pride itself on what it considers high academic standards, but the truth is that the achievement gap between white and minority students in California is one of the widest and most persistent in the entire nation.
Some supporters of SB 740 also argue that they have other methods by which to evaluate a child's progress. However, the fact remains that the only objective source of information for educational leaders and for state policy makers on how well all of our students across California are performing is the California Standards Test (CST). If we ditch CST, all hope for real apples-to-apples comparisons of young children's reading ability is lost.
Now is not the time to hide or deny information from parents, schools, and the public. The push to eliminate early assessments of students has been going on for years. It has been wisely resisted by education reformers. Now, with a more status quo, less reform-minded Legislature, the possibility that this bill will pass is stronger. This is why DFER CA is joining with so many others in the education reform community to call upon the Legislature to stop this bill from moving forward.
Reading is a critical skill for educational success. If we cannot intervene in the early years when a child is most at risk for falling behind, what makes anyone think that a child will be more ready for an intervention when we test in the 4th grade only to discover that he or she can't read? By then, it may be too late.
Without an annual assessment to measure academic success, Californians will be denied access to information on how our students and our schools are performing in one of the most critical and basic skills needed for any student to succeed: reading.
Furthermore, while supporters of the bill argue that it "takes up too much time" to do testing in the classroom, the fact remains that less than 1% of instructional time is spent on standardized testing!
DFER CA joins with EdVoice and California Business for Education Excellence and says No to SB 740. Let our students learn, let our students read, and let us most certainly not hide the data!
Gloria Romero, former Senator and Chair of The California Senate Education Committee, now serves as California director for Democrats for Education Reform.