Measuring Success is it a Test ? How do Teachers Know When Technology is Getting in the Way?

Learning tools are proliferating and teachers are being challenged by multiple research designs and programs to create classroom environments that produce successful students.  How exactly do we measure success?  Is it a one-off test given at the beginning of the year to establish a baseline and then an end-of-the year measurement that determines growth with controls that add points if a student is a product of an economically disadvantaged background or some other potential “X” factor that inhibits forward progress?  Just reading this opening gives me hives because so much rides on these high-stakes tests. Two recent news articles caught my eye this weekend and they are relevant to the readers of this blog – if you are a teacher, I hope you will share these thoughts with the parents of your students.

Item one – a pediatrician wrote an op-ed about a parent bringing a two-year old in for a visit.  The child had his own cell phone.  The diagnosis was an ear infection.  The parent spent the visit paying more attention to his phone rather than either the doctor or his child.  Once the diagnosis was given, the child asked “Siri” for information about ear infections (like an audible Google search).  How clever, cute, or rather how frightening is this example of parenting?  The pediatrician was concerned because of the obvious lack of social interaction between parent and child.  Additionally, he was concerned because the parent was modeling specific behavior.  Instead of demonstrating how to clarify symptoms and ask questions of the “human” expert the parent was distant and unavailable.  Every day – we unconsciously model behavior for our students/children.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/parents-put-down-the-cellphones/2014/08/08/0fb48ba4-1db8-11e4-82f9-2cd6fa8da5c4_story.html (date accessed 8/11/2014)

Time spent on machines, no matter how interactive we make them does not replace the give and take of social interaction.  Being a parent means thinking of activities that don’t stress your budget, but do provide a banquet of learning opportunities.  Here’s a short list – plan on: reading aloud; arranging play dates, visiting “children centered” spots and creating experiences outside of school that enrich your child’s life.  The paper is full of free activities every week that can spark a life-long interest in your child.  I call it the “Aha” moment when you see your child is fully engaged, wants more and you are an observer on the sidelines. The same thing happens in the classroom if a variety of assignments are provided.

Item two - The chief executive of Prince George’s County Public Schools, Kevin M. Maxwell, has chosen a book “Great by Choice” by Jim Collins to use as a guide to turn around the school system which is the second largest in Maryland.  The main points of the book which examines why some businesses succeed and some fail are to: map out a strategy, follow it while meeting goals, don’t try to do too much and realize “you can’t solve every problem today.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/prince-georges-county-public-schools-great-by-choice/2014/08/10/909414d0-1f19-11e4-ab7b-696c295ddfd1_story.htm (date accessed 8/11/2014)

How do you measure success? This is a much more difficult question to address. Former students of mine sometimes have brilliant careers and sometimes don’t. Most speak of some unique time in the class that they remember in great detail and some most of the time it has nothing to do with anything I taught them.  Today, I ran into a young man and I wasn't really his teacher, but he remembered me because of the computer work stations I created in my high school classroom – he would come in the morning before class and at lunch and play various games with one of his friends.  He was surprised to find out that I had purchased all the computer stations using my own money.

He brought up a former student, who went to a Virginia state university, as he had and graduated.  Both of them have jobs, but nothing like one of my students, who is an architect for computer platforms and another, who is a female lawyer. However, he’s happy, has friends, is employed and could carry on a lively conversation and was well-versed in current events.  He’s a bartender and I’m sure he’s earning as much as I did as a teacher at his age. Successful, yes – I’d have to say that he’s successful and happy.  

Testing in its current form is not a valid tool for measuring teacher quality or student success.  It takes four years for a teacher to become competent and many teachers leave the field before reaching that mark. I think that I would love to see the results of teacher satisfaction survey comments – the negative ones.  If only we had a Yelp for teachers, so that they could be completely unfiltered and say what needs to be fixed. 

 Kudos to Prince George’s County Public Schools for looking at a model that acknowledges that positive growth, takes time and patience and analysis. Mr. Maxwell, you would be doing yourself a big favor if you would find a way to let your teachers, the real experts, get stuff off their chests without fear of reprisals  and then come up with some solutions.  One more thing Mr. Maxwell, most surveys always arrived in my mailbox at the end of the year or at the very beginning when I was overwhelmed with work.  I just didn't have the energy to write all the information in the comment sections that I had to say.  Take an in-service away, let teachers have some free time to have some coffee, treats, kick back, talk and then have them write comments as individuals or groups. Who knows, you might get some creative feedback and some workable solutions.