With all the focus on OAKS and EASY CBM lately, staff may be wondering if I am advocating that we "teach to the test." Wow. When did that become a bad thing? It is the job of educators to build their curriculum from state standards and then effectively teach that curriculum. The state test simply assesses student knowledge of those standards. If students are learning the standards, they will do good on the tests. Seems like a no-brainer.
Now, let me make this a little more personal. I have a daughter and a son currently attending schools in Lebanon. They have to take those tests, and they need to pass them to get a diploma, and all of the other kids in our schools are somebody's sons and daughters as well. I certainly hope we are teaching them what they need to know to pass those tests, and our community expects we are doing that very thing.
Of course, I want our children learning things in addition to doing well on the state test (like writing, problem-solving, speaking, and being a great citizen), because success in college and career will take a lot more than just passing state tests, but it is still a good place to start.
Yes, please teach to the test.
