Where’s the logic in California state school testing this year?

Nobody likes taking tests.

In fact, the term “test anxiety” was created for the sole purpose of identifying that horrible, sinking feeling that most of us get when taking a serious test of any kind. Whether it’s a driving test, a test at school, or a test that advances us further in our jobs, tests are just not something people look forward to doing, no matter their age.

In education, however, it’s an annual fact of life when late April or May rolls around, and schools have to take standardized tests. Teachers sign affidavits, testing signs go on doors, cell phones get locked away, and the least enjoyable time of school takes over.

In a word, it’s drudgery.

But one would think this year would be different, right? I mean, due to the insanity of the pandemic, I doubt education officials would think a two-week computerized test would be a logical end to a year overwhelmed with screen time and virtual learning. Our state and federal government would surely see the wisdom of doing away with such a life-sucking annual tradition in light of the circumstances of 2020, right?

Wrong.

In its infinite wisdom, the United States government, along with the California Department of Education, has determined that despite the sad state of education in 2020, the state test will indeed go on. Although slightly shortened, we’ll once again take our standardized tests even though anyone in their right mind knows the results will be horrible.

Talk about ridiculous!

I mean, what are we really hoping to see from the data? That this pandemic year was a bad year for education? That kids achieved less than they would have if they hadn’t been learning virtually for the last nine months? It doesn’t take two weeks of testing to confirm that.

And it’s not as if taking the state test is a quick-and-easy, one-and-done test that gets completed in an hour and then we move on. It takes weeks in some cases, and with all the make-up tests, computer issues, and scheduling, it can be a logistical nightmare.

What’s more, some school districts are even asking kids who’ve chosen to remain learning from home to actually come back to school for the sole reason of taking the test. Although students can’t be made to come back and take the test, they’re certainly encouraged to do so. And when your school is calling you multiple times asking for your kids to return to school in order to take the test, it most definitely puts pressure on families to send their kids back — even if it’s something they’ve consciously decided not to do.

What are education policy makers thinking?

A long time ago, testing used to be a single tool in determining the overall efficacy of a school’s program. Only recently has it become the single-most important indicator of a school’s success. Quite frankly it amazes me that even in the midst of a global pandemic, education officials will still sacrifice common sense in the name of the almighty standardized test.

Enough’s enough already. Give kids, teachers, and administrators the psychological break they deserve and scrap the state test this year.

We already know what the results will be.