My Turn
Taking Away the Fun

High-stakes testing is putting some of the most meaningful class experiences in jeopardy.

By Afie Mirshah-Nayar

Fifteen years ago I received my high school diploma in the same Maryland school district where I now teach. Not a day goes by when I do not think about the changes that have since occurred in education. Students are tested mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially in ways I never could have conceived in my day. Yet in one fundamental way, they remind me of myself when I was young.

The students I teach are English- language learners. As a child of Iranian immigrants I, too, was once trying to learn and assimilate to a new language and culture. I remember a teacher named Mrs. McDonald who stayed with my sister and me during recess and taught us with flash cards. Nowadays the art of teaching English to second language learners is serious business, and with the trend toward more frequent and demanding testing, it's getting more serious than ever--and in my view, at great cost.

Consider who I teach. These students come to Montgomery County from more than 150 countries and speak at least 120 different languages. They enroll in our school system with varying levels of English language proficiency and, in high school, range in age from 14 to 19 years old. Coming from mostly Hispanic backgrounds with non-English- speaking parents, they must grapple with trying to become fluent in a new language (academic fluency can take five to seven years), a new culture, and a new academic framework. Meanwhile, they are held to the same state standards and requirements as their American-born, English-speaking classmates.

In this way my students are already more vulnerable to failure than their peers. Now, they have to endure shifts in my own teaching--from the practical life skills I love to impart and which they seem to value, to a strict, by-the-book curriculum geared almost solely to helping them pass these new tests.

For me this shift has been a necessity. Tests have been a burgeoning fact of life for years, but demands are getting stiffer with the introduction of the Maryland High School Assessments--five tests that stress higher-order thinking and significantly more writing than previous tests. Passing these tests are currently slated to be a requirement for graduation.

Having to "teach to the test" does not motivate me, but many of my kids will not go on to four-year colleges after high school because of the financial burden and a lack of academic fluency, and a high school diploma will be vital for their working futures. I have decided, then, I must do everything I can to ensure they are successful.

But I am troubled because I know that certain lessons that can benefit these students will have to be pushed to the back burner. In government, for example, we study economics, which deals with topics such as the Federal Reserve and monetary and fiscal policy. Yet I've long felt that topics such as balancing a checkbook and using credit cards are important to my students, so I've taught these, too. But no longer.

I fear similar changes will have to be made to other supplemental lessons. To buttress our studies on a novel about the Vietnam War, for example, I took my students to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in nearby Washington, D.C. There they were able to see pictures and read letters left by families and friends. The experience dramatically brought home how the death of so many soldiers impacted a nation. It was powerfully moving--just as was our trip to the White House. Here was a spectacular way of reinforcing many of the things I'd taught about the executive branch. My kids saw firsthand where it all happens, had fun, and became motivated to learn more. Just being able to go inside so easily taught them a surprising lesson about open governments. Frankly, it was one of the most meaningful experiences we'd had as a class. But such trips may have to take a back seat to test preparation which, after all, must be the top priority.

Is there a middle ground? I believe there is, for testing is hardly all bad news. It brings accountability to teachers and schools and helps targets those having problems with curriculum and instruction. Also, the rigor in preparing for these tests can inspire students and teachers to raise standards and expectations.

My idea: Use well-thought-out, comprehensive tests as incentives for students to strive higher, rather than as punitive measures. Students who are able to pass the tests receive extra accreditation along with their diplomas. Meanwhile valuable data--about where students need improvement, about which schools and teachers may need professional development--could be used to guide educational strategy.

In the end, the assessments would not penalize any student, including immigrants. A student's fear of failure would be replaced by a genuine desire to achieve. To me, this is the best of both worlds.

Afie Mirshah-Nayar is an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland.

Editor's Note

Photographs have always been prominent in NEA Today.

It's important that nearly every story carry with it a face, so you can connect the words with real people, the 2.7 million members of NEA.

Most of our photographs are taken by freelance photographers or photographers on the staffs of newspapers and magazines whom we hire to provide photos for particular stories. So, over the course of a year, we procure photos from several hundred photographers.

Over NEA Today's 20-year history, we've found some excellent photographic talent across the United States.

On page 14, you'll find photos by Bob Riha Jr., who started shooting for NEA Today in the 1980s. Bob's photos appear on a regular basis in USA Today.

Scott Suchman, based here in Washington, D.C., is another long-time contributor of photos to this magazine. Scott is a resident photographer for the Kennedy Center. His photos appear regularly in Baltimore magazine.

We're always interested in fresh talent--in both photography and graphic illustration. We're also looking to hire a greater number of minority freelance photographers and illustrators to handle our assignments.

The field of photojournalism still tends to be dominated by white males, but in the last five years or so we've been pleased to be able to display more of the work of minority and female photographers on the pages of NEA Today.

This is important because telling the story of our diverse public schools through pictures requires being able to see photos from many different perspectives.

--Bill Fischer