Wednesday, September 27, 2000
Changes urged in testing kids
By Andrea Tortora
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FINNEYTOWN — Parents and educators called on their state legislators Tuesday to revamp the Ohio Proficiency Tests into part of a system that gauges what students know while also taking into account social and economic factors that effect the way a child learns.
More than 100 people addressed legislators and candidates for House districts 33, 34 and 35 and Senate district 8 at Finneytown High School.
The forum, sponsored by the Ohio Education Association and its local chapters, was just one of 33 that took place in each of Ohio's Senate districts Tuesday.
David Kelly, principal at Hooven Elementary in the Southwest Local Schools, said the test does not consider the social circumstances that impact a child's education.
“If you want to help me improve my schools, give me better preschool services and better social services,” Mr. Kelly said. “If a child is not bathed and clothed and fed, he is not ready to learn.”
The proficiency test is given each year to students in grades 4, 6, 9 and 12. It is used to advance students to the next grade and assess basic skills in reading and math.
Students must pass the ninth-grade test to graduate.
Beginning in 2003, the ninth-grade test will be replaced by a 10th-grade exam. Anyone graduating after September 2004 will be required to pass the 10th-grade test.
Next year, students who do not pass the fourth-grade reading test will not be able to advance to the fifth grade.
There are several bills pending in the House and Senate that would make changes to the testing system, including doing away with the 12th-grade exam and getting rid of the fourth-grade reading guarantee.
Jean Siebenaler, candidate for House District 34, said it is wrong to put such pressure on young students. “Tests were designed to help children,” she said.
Gary Gellert, superintendent of North College Hill Local Schools, encouraged Ms. Siebenaler, Sen. Lou Blessing, Rep. Pat Clancy, and candidates Jeannette Harrison and Bill Seitz to do away with the pass/fail measure on the fourth-grade exam.
“Can we imagine that we are going to put that much stress on a 9-year-old?” Mr. Gellert said.
He also pointed out that the proficiency tests hold schools accountable for things they have no control over, such as students attending vocational classes off-campus, or an at-risk population.
“It hurts us, it hurts the morale of our staff and our community, and there is nothing to be ashamed of,” Mr. Gellert said. “We have good students and good teachers.”
Karen Imbus, a parent at North Avondale Montessori, said the tests limit self-motivated learning and choice.
“State-mandated proficiency testing violates my strongly held beliefs about how my children should be educated,” Mrs. Imbus said.
Ms. Harrison said the legislature must look at everything a school does. Mr. Seitz said the tests are being put into too many grades. Ms. Clancy said she wants to see the state create a clear set of standards because “everyone needs to know what is expected of them.”
The ideal system, Mr. Kelly said, would be one that takes into account the improvements a school has made since a child started there.
“We take kids from preschool and move them all the way up, but we get no credit for that,” Mr. Kelly said. “Test them when they come in and then test them again in fourth grade and give us credit for that.”
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