Standardized Testing Reflection Essay

As a leader I learned, the era of standardized testing has created, at times, a disconnect between the educational experience (content, assessment) students receive within the actual school setting and the format/content students are exposed to on the Keystone exams. Through research for my School Improvement Project and discussion between myself and students I have found many students have a found the Keystone Exams to be, more so, a separate aspect of learning instead of the exams themselves being an extension of classroom learning. As a future leader, as long as standardized exams are a part of state-wide assessment, I would certainly want to intertwine the exams into the identity of the curriculum. This would hopefully serve as a partial means to decrease the disconnect students feel they have. Now, the main challenge would be to ensure teacher creativity is not reduced. However, I think mandatory collaborative planning among teachers will allow for departmental creativity which will foster uniformity and standardization among each class. Each department would also make a point to incorporate contextual language and assessments formats which are evident on standardized exams and in their planned lessons.

Administrators and teachers are not the only ones who have an opinion in regard to states tests, students do as well. More of a dialogue needs to be open with students in regard to the true reasons why such tests exist, what their impact is on the school, and how they truly correlate to a student’s academic life during and after school. From what I have gathered, students have knowledge to have such a conversation, but simply lack the platform to do so. If school leaders are willing to acknowledge the idea of standardized tests being more than just a yearly assessment, I think more students will buy into the