The Detrimental Effects of Standardized Testing on Student Mental Health and Classroom Dynamics: Insights from a Veteran Educator
As a veteran educator, I am deeply concerned about the destructive consequences of standardized testing, specifically the MCAS, on student mental health and the overall classroom environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced additional stressors, such as coping with loss and economic uncertainty, making the impact of standardized testing even more significant. Regrettably, the prevailing educational landscape prioritizes test scores over the emotional and psychological well-being of our students.
Through my involvement with NBCSOS, a grassroots coalition comprising educators, students, families, elected officials, and community activists in Greater New Bedford, I have recognized that despite our differences, we all share fundamental aspirations. Parents, students, and educators alike desire a supportive, secure, and joyful educational experience, particularly during these challenging and anxiety-inducing times. However, standardized testing exacerbates anxiety. As a biology teacher, I have personally witnessed the detrimental effects of test preparation and test taking on my students' mental state. To address this issue, I have incorporated meditation techniques into my test prep sessions, understanding the essential role of a low stress environment in facilitating effective learning and information processing.
Unfortunately, the emphasis on standardized testing has disrupted the creation of safe and joyful learning environments, hindering genuine social-emotional learning. Schools have become test-centric spaces, resulting in a narrowed curriculum, a shift towards drill-focused pedagogy, heightened stress levels, and diminished opportunities for recreation, creativity, and play.
One of the most distressing aspects of standardized testing is its disproportionate impact on low-income students of color. In underprivileged districts, low MCAS scores have driven a culture of excessive testing, forcing schools to narrow the curriculum, eliminate art, music, and recess, and limiting educators' ability to develop engaging and creative lessons. Consequently, students in these districts receive an inequitable educational experience compared to their more affluent peers in wealthier districts, perpetuating the cycle of educational inequality.
Reducing students to mere scores is an act of objectification, robbing them of agency and control over their own education. When students are solely evaluated based on their ability to answer a narrow set of predetermined questions, their unique skills, talents, brilliance, and beauty go unnoticed and undervalued. This objectification leads to student resistance, often manifested as undesirable behaviors. High-stakes testing fosters a dysfunctional relationship between students and their education, with test preparation overshadowing authentic learning experiences. The focus on scores sidelines culturally responsive teaching, which is vital for student engagement and success. By reducing students and educators to mere scores, the process dehumanizes them and gives rise to significant mental health challenges, including anxiety, low self-esteem, and demoralization.
Recognizing that standardized testing represents just one form of assessment, it is imperative that we explore alternative methods that capture the full scope of student learning. Embracing self-assessments, teacher observations, interviews, portfolios, and public defenses provides a more holistic approach to evaluating students' strengths, unique abilities, and growth. By adopting these alternative assessments, we can move away from the objectification and dehumanization inherent in standardized testing. Instead, we can cultivate a more inclusive, student-centered approach to education that prioritizes mental health, fosters joy, and nurtures safe and healthy learning environments.
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Comments (2)
Hi Cynthia:
Thanks for joining our conversation and adding such a reasoned opposition to testing.
My partner and I have been doing these online conversations with teachers for 20 years and each one has included some discussion of the harm standardized testing has wrought. It feels like an intractable problem.
If you had the chance to discuss this with your state legislature (or school board or state board of ed) what argument do you think might sway them?
My senator and representatives express their understanding and lack of support for standardized testing.
School boards might be unaware of the harm caused by standardized testing. It is important to consider that school boards may not possess a comprehensive understanding of the detrimental effects of standardized testing. By presenting well-researched evidence and examples of the harm caused by such tests, we can raise awareness and prompt a reevaluation of their impact on students, teachers, and educational outcomes.
BESE has been informed but continues to support standardized testing. It is puzzling and disheartening to witness the continued support of standardized testing by the Department of Education, despite being informed about its failures and negative consequences. By highlighting specific studies and evidence that demonstrate the ineffectiveness of these tests in closing achievement gaps and promoting meaningful learning, we can possibly challenge their endorsement and encourage a shift in their approach.
The testing industry's ability to effectively market their products is a factor that cannot be overlooked. By shedding light on the vested interests and profit motives of these companies, we can draw attention to the potential biases and conflicts of interest that may exist within the testing industry.
That being said, I’ve tried the education route and sometimes evidence doesn’t move decision makers. I’m more inclined to support a grassroots movement to resist standardized testing like an opt out movement at this point.