Quality Schools; How Do We Know?

Yesterday, I wrote about Indiana Schools being ranked with a letter grade, and the letter grade will be based only upon a few hours of ISTEP+ testing,  So, what are the components necessary for a quality school?  What should be measured in the quality learning of students?

A classroom and a school can be a place where students attain quality learning, if these six conditions are present.

1. Student learning takes place in a caring and warm environment, which is built upon trust between the teacher and students, and between students and students.
2. Students are asked to do useful work; work that is meaningful, authentic, and avoids memorization.
3. Students are asked to do their best work on the learning tasks and assignments.
4. Students are asked to evaluate their own work and to make improvements in their work.
5. The work of school is never destructive or demeaning.
6. The work of school has some fun.

If any of these conditions are absent, quality learning will not take place.  The opposite of each condition is easy to spot.  The anti-number one is learning environments built upon intimidation, demeaning, and punishments.  The anti-number two is students completing meaningless work sheets and to memorizing useless facts. 

The anti-number three is students working to just get by.  Research shows that the number of students who do their best work in school is highest in kindergarten and diminishes each year a student is in school.  The anti-number four is assignment going to the grade book and there is no opportunity to improve the work or the learning.  The anti-number five is aggression among people in the school.  The anti-number six is "school is for work and is serious, fun is not an option."

Educators believe quality education has three phases.

1. Gaining relevant knowledge.  Useful knowledge is necessary for all students.  The difficulty occurs because what we know as a society is changing so fast.  Knowledge is doubling every few years.  So, gaining knowledge has to be paired with learning how to find knowledge.
2. Developing deep understanding.  Quality schools "cover" less curricular topics than non-quality schools.  But, quality schools encourage students to develop deeper understanding of the topics.  A thick textbook is not a sign of quality learning.
3. Master skillful performance.  As Shakespeare would say, "Ah, here's the rub."  Skillful performance is the most critical component of education.  In fact, student knowledge and understanding cannot be measured unless the student is asked to perform some task.

Do state tests, like the ISTEP+, competently measure a student's knowledge, understanding, and performance?  Standardized high-stakes tests measure these areas at a superficial level.  Educators know standardized tests are shallow measures and can be one part of a complete assessment of student learning,  Should standardized tests be the singular measure of giving schools a letter grade? "No".

The state does not have a complete in-depth assessment of student learning because to do so is very expensive.  Comprehensive school and student learning assessment would cost many millions of dollars.  So, politicians spend several millions of dollars on state-wide standardized testing that tells only a small picture about the school and student learning.  It is cheap (relatively) and the public believes state testing is the truth.

ISTEP+ is NOT the truth.  ISTEP+ is one measure, one picture, of student learning.  Labeling a school with only one measure is poor government.  Teachers, administrators, parents, and community members can demand better assessment  before schools are labeled as winners and losers.