Dive Brief:
- The New York Department of Education released half of the questions that third through eighth grade students encountered this past spring on new Common Core-aligned English Language Arts and math exams.
- The questions were released in an attempt to help schools better prepare for the exams due to criticism that the standards were pushed into schools very fast and with very little guidance.
- The release of half of the exam questions is a big jump from last year, when only 25% of the questions were made public.
Dive Insight:
The release of the exam questions is an attempt to appease parents, educators, and administrators concerned that the exams are invalid, unfair, and unnecessary. In fact, last year in Long Island, thousands of students refused to take the test for those very reasons. While many are grateful that the exam questions are released, that does not mean everyone is now pleased with the changes. "Clearly, it is helpful," Sean Feeney, a Long Island principal, told Newsday before adding that many are still "deeply concerned about how the assessments are being used in terms of the evaluation of teachers, principals, and schools."
Ultimately, it also says a lot when the state department feels it needs to give out test questions for future success. What is the goal of the tests then? Who can teach their students perfectly what is required on a test, or who can teach their students how to critically think so they can succeed on any test?