TCAP (or...All Teachers Need A Good Rant)

It's TCAP (Transitional Colorado Assessment Program) time at school, one of the best things to come from No Child Left Behind. NCLB... On the surface, it sounds like one of the noblest, best ideas in the world. Communism does too. In true communism everyone works as hard as they can and gives everything they earn/produce back to the collective so it can all be distributed evenly. Everyone does what they can and everyone shares equally in the benefits. Everyone decides together how to proceed with everything. It's all very democratic, full of sharing, full of "good will to all". It's all great—on paper. In practice, it doesn't work except, perhaps, on a very small scale (families?).

Why doesn't communism work well? It's because of one critical factor: humans. Humans, have a hard-wired sense of "justice" and "equality". We don't want to work hard and then give away what we've earned to someone who isn't working as hard as we are or as hard as we think they should be. We also have a pretty strong tendency to compare ourselves to others accompanied with a desire to "do better" or "be better" or "have more" than others. It's not that we want others to have less, it's just that we want to have a little more than those around us. It makes us feel good about ourselves.

In a capitalist society we have the opportunity to "get ahead". We work hard and are rewarded for that work and make gains. We get the rewards...personally. We can CHOOSE to share (making us feel benevolent) what we have with others, but we aren't required to do so. We move forward because of our hard work, someone else doesn't (or can't) work as hard as us and doesn't do as well. It all makes sense to us typical humans.

No Child Left Behind was promoted in such a way that is was difficult to criticize. After all, no one wants to leave children behind, without education, right? Who would claim that they were okay with that? The theory, though, places all the burden of responsibility on the system (the teachers and schools). It assumes that all children WANT to be educated and are willing to do whatever they can to become educated...in the WAY we decide they should be...in the TIME we decide they should be...in the PLACES we decide they should be....in the SUBJECTS we decide they should be...and in the MANNER we decide they should be. If they meet us in all these areas, then no child should be left behind. If they don't (or can't) meet all these requirements, then what? "Well...but...if...do you mean...huh? That's too complicated. Let's not consider all those things. Let's shoot for the norm, for the middle ground. Let's just move forward. Here's your curriculum map, daily script, and box of standardized tests, now get to work."

"Woohoo!" says the teacher. "Now we can all get to the important task of getting everyone to the same level of mediocrity, not really good at much of anything except taking standardized tests. Now, that's a goal I'm passionate about and to which I want to commit my life's work!"

Oh, the TCAP... Formerly this test was known as CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment Program), but after 16 years, it was time for an update. TCAP is the interim version. The publishers are working hard (and keeping track of thousands of billable hours, I'm sure) on the new version. Maybe it will be the CRAP (Colorado Revenue-for-us Assessment Program). The following interesting statistic was reported in 2007 regarding McGraw-Hill (publishers of the CSAP):

"McGraw Hill, publishers of CSAP, reported profit of $49 million in 1993 before high stakes testing; in 2004 with contracts in 26 states, profits exceeded $340 million."

Source: Exposing the Myths of High Stakes Testing 

Whatever it's name, it remains the hallmark measure for NCLB. Let's take one-day, one-hour snapshots of student work and measure everything—quality of the teachers, quality of the school, quality of the school districts, etc. on the results. In fact, let's not only measure the quality, let's tie everyone's paychecks to the results. No, don't stop there. Let's tie their jobs and even the very existence of the particular school itself on the results. That will motivate everyone to do their best, right?

Let's now make some assumptions about these tests and test environments.

First, let's assume that everyone does well with a written, "fill in the bubble" approach to assessment. Who can't color in a bubble, right? That's really all there is to it.

Second, let's assume that all students and teachers fully embrace that the information they're interacting with is relevant and important. It all is, right?

"What I'm reading on this test today is going to help me get a better job, right?"

"Sorry, no."

"It's at least going to make me a better citizen?"

"We can't really say that."

"A better family member?"

"Not likely."

"Where is that "none of the above" bubble for me to color?"

Third, let's assume students care about the scores they get on these tests. Why wouldn't they care? "How do these tests impact me personally?"

"They don't. Just try."

"The results are included in my report card for my parents to see?"

"No, we don't share that information with anyone."

"Are they included on my transcript?"

"Nope, never."

"Shared with colleges and other schools?"

"Oh no, never."

"Okay, give me that #2 pencil, I'm ready to do my best for absolutely no reason!"

Next, let's also assume that students are rested and well-fed and feel ready to take these tests that mean so much to them. 

"You had a good breakfast, right?"

"I didn't even eat yesterday, much less today."

"Your mom and dad forgot to give you breakfast?"

"I haven't seen my dad in years and my mom stayed at her boyfriend's house after work yesterday."

"Who got you up and drove you to school?"

"Me. I walked to school, as usual."

"But you don't have a coat? It's freezing outside!"

"Yeah, it's pretty cold, but not that much different than our apartment. We haven't had heat in there for a week, which is why we're moving again. Every month it seems."

I can hear the arguments already. That's a ridiculously overstated version of some student's life. Sure there may be one or two in that extreme situation, but not very many. Really? Ever visited an inner city school? This scenario is not only common, there are often many worse stories. Many of these students have little stability in life and are constantly concerned with getting their basic needs met. They are poster children for "not having their basic needs met" according to Maslow's hierarchy.

And finally, let's assume that all students not only understand, but fully embrace the need to do well on these tests because it will help their school and their school districts. If students aren't in this idyllic state of mind, it must be the fault of the teachers and the school in some way, I'm sure, because teachers have so much control and influence over these factors outside the school walls. My niece, now in college and an excellent student both in high school and also now in college, talked bemusedly to me about how she and her friends would make interesting designs with their completed bubbles. They at least had an artistic goal. Did their artwork relate in any way to correct answers? That wasn't even considered. It was irrelevant to them—as was the test. My poor niece. She must have had really bad, irresponsible teachers because they didn't get her excited about doing her best on something that was meaningless to her.

We've entered the age of education where all we measure must be calculated by computers. If it can't be, it isn't important, or so we're asked to believe. It doesn't matter that life in every other aspect besides school and for every human everywhere doesn't fit this belief system. Numbers, statistics, data. They're all that matter. And, not just any data (because that comes in many usable forms) but data, that can be captured in a standardized test. But, remember teachers, you must also be inspirational and motivational and make things relevant and interesting and prepare students to be good citizens who contribute in positive ways to their world. Are you going to be measured by these things too? Sure! Well...not really. We can't find a good way to get that information from our bubble generators. However, it will show in how well students do on our standardized tests, right?

My love of NCLB and all the wonderful changes it has brought to our educational systems isn't unique to me. None of what I've outlined here is new and won't be surprising to anyone who has paid any attention at all to discussions about education today. I've not even touched on many of the things people dislike about NCLB.

Even so, I know there are those who can find some benefits in how the current system is set up and in which way we're moving educationally, but I'm not one of these. There are better ways to approach education, and they're not all that new. Good educational practices have existed ever since one human decided to teach another something they didn't know. We've used many of these good practices and many can still be found in schools in spite of (not because of) current educational trends.

My hat is off to the teachers who continue to pursue what they know will benefit students. Some have even found ways to wring some relevance out of all the test prep strategies required of them. Many teachers are still passionate about the life work they've chosen and are committed to making the best of what they've been given. Imagine what they could do if they were provided the tools and the support system to do what they already know works.

Many people in many arenas and spheres of influence are seeing the problems inherent in our current system. Many want change and many are moving in the right direction. It's time for some significant changes—and changes not to the "new" and "innovative" but to some of the old "tried and true". It's time for us to re-understand how humans learn and have shared information for centuries. It's time to remake education into something irresistible for students and for all of society.