Solution to Problems Associated With Teaching to

¶ … Solution to Problems Associated With Teaching to Test Learning Approach Teaching to the test which is an educational practice in which the curriculum is focused heavily on preparing the students for standardized testing has several weaknesses. In this section, we present a curriculum-based solution to these problems. It is therefore important that all teachers be aware of the dangers associated with teaching to the test while embracing constructive test preparation approaches that in the end promote an authentic student learning experience.

Mehrens and Kaminski (1989) noted that both the preservice classrooms as well as inservice workshop should eclearly outline the unethical test preparation approaches and activities for the practicing and aspiring teachers. The teachers should be given training in the context of curriculum -- teaching that requires them to effectively direct their instructions towards a very specific set of cognitive skills and content knowledge that is represented by a certain or given test as noted by Popham (2001).

The teachers therefore need to clearly discuss the test-represented content as opposed to the test items themselves at all times when they are preparing their students to face the challenges of the tests. While armed with the appropriate content knowledge as well as instructional strategies, the teachers can effectively offer their students better skills and knowledge which would be better that giving them repetitive drills in the preparation for their standardized tests.

The students can therefore manage to apply their newly acquired thinking skills as well as content knowledge in situations that extend beyond the confines of a given test parameters. Stiggens (2000) on the other hand proposed the need for the school administrators receiving similar training for them to be effective leaders who can guide their students to the achievement of an authentic learning experience.

The teachers however, are noted to be the ones who are better suited to tackle the challenges associated with standardized testing while also managing to positively convey this challenge to the students. The school administrators should be champions of effective curriculum-based solution to teaching to test problems. The administrators should therefore be able to clearly distinguish between the most appropriate and the counterproductive strategies of test preparation. They must then convey the acquired knowledge to the teaching staff.

By regularly visiting classrooms, the school administrators should commit their time and effort in counseling teachers who they determine to be spending too much time in preparation for the testing or taking their time in engaging in activities geared towards item-teaching. In the long run, the administrators should commit themselves to the promotion of assessment literacy in their various schools. Stiggens (2000) noted that assessment literate teachers comprehend how to employ assessment as a tool for maximizing student learning and motivation.

An emphasis on standardized testing is noted by Sampson, Rasinski, and Sampson (2003) to skew the attention of the educators and the public from what the parents, government and industry wants the students to learn as opposed to what can readily and easily be quantified/measured.

There is therefore a need for a balanced literacy curriculum to be developed that includes various components that are related to listening, reading, writing and speaking as noted by Sampson, Rasinski and Sampson (2003).It is rather unfortunate that reading and writing are the only components that are measured, typically by the standardized school tests. Conclusion In order to achieve an authentic standards-based school improvement, there is a need for the educators to rely mainly on.