Delaware is failing at public education. We have to stop our obsession with test scores

When U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote his decision in Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, he stated that public education was “perhaps the most important function of state and local governments.” If recent headlines are any indication, Delaware is failing miserably.

“Delaware ranks 45th in education.” “Milford school board to consider limiting discussion of controversial/sensitive issues in the classroom.” “Capital School District could go remote” (for two days due to teacher absenteeism and a substitute teacher shortage). “Behavioral issues affecting instruction.” These problems are all connected.

I had the good fortune of beginning my teaching career in Delaware in 1985. My class sizes ranged from 16 to 25 students. I had an excellent undergraduate education that included a wide range of history and other social science courses which helped me create curriculum that was more well-rounded than what I had been exposed to in high school.  I earned a master of arts in teaching secondary social studies from Brown University, which added to my knowledge base and provided me with skills for writing curriculum and managing a classroom (although there is no substitute for experience when it comes to learning how to manage a classroom). During the first half of my career, teachers could take two courses each summer at either Delaware State University or the University of Delaware (paid for by the state), which enabled me to earn certification in Special Education and helped me to become more effective with all students.

My first 25 years in the classroom were exciting and exhausting. Over time, I grew effective at inspiring students to dig deeply into learning. My last few years were demoralizing and difficult in large part due to the hyper-focus on state tests.

Why is Delaware so focused on test scores?

The Annie E. Casey Foundation ranked Delaware 45th in education based on test scores and increasing rates of absenteeism. If these test scores do reflect what students know and can do, then the state must take a look at what the top-ranked states are doing right. It should be noted that by the 4th grade, children in Delaware know their test scores have no impact on either their grades or promotion into the next grade. There was a time when low test scores meant that students might have to go to summer school, and it should be no surprise that students took the tests more seriously. I am not suggesting we return to that practice, but there is something wrong with today’s formula where test scores are used primarily to evaluate teachers and rank schools.

Delaware puts far too much energy and money into this failing state testing system. The obsessive focus on test scores has reduced time children spend with music, art, great literature, and in-depth learning.

When I taught social studies at a local middle school toward the end of my career, students who struggled with state tests were pulled from band, chorus, art and foreign languages and placed in remedial math and reading classes. The teachers were frustrated, and the students were angry, disengaged and disruptive. All students benefit from art and music, and for many struggling students, these are the classes that make them want to come to school.

As for Milford’s policy — which, for now, has been tabled — the last thing that Delaware needs is confusing and anti-educational rules that add to the stress of the classroom. In a recent conversation with a Milford teacher, I mentioned that the 70th anniversary of Delaware’s role in the Brown v. Board of Education case was just around the corner, and I hoped teachers had the resources they needed to teach about it. The teacher quickly replied that teaching about Brown was “too controversial.” I had never heard anyone suggest that teaching about Delaware’s extraordinary role in the outcome of one of the most impactful Supreme Court cases to date was controversial in any way. But that is the unnecessary confusion, anxiety and misunderstanding that such a policy would bring about.

History is full of controversy. This is not a new or “woke” concept. Obviously what we teach and how we teach it must be developmentally appropriate. For example, first graders can continue to learn about George Washington and the cherry tree in a lesson about honesty (even though, ironically, the story isn’t true). By the time students are in high school, they can be trusted to consider how Washington was both a great patriot and a slave owner. History helps students to understand how most people reflect the times in which they live — and how individuals and movements come along to challenge such cultural norms. Learning about the good, bad and ugly in our history does not make us hate our history or ourselves. It helps us appreciate the freedom we have to improve our communities and inspires us to do so.

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Why can't education in Delaware be more thoughtful?

So much of the joy I experienced in my first 25 years of teaching was related to the autonomy that I had to create lessons that were relevant to the students in my classroom. I spent hours each summer poring over resources, blocking out the calendar, and determining how much time to devote to which units of study. If it was an election year, I made sure to include a unit on elections where students researched the party platforms and the local, state and national candidates, and (if time permitted) engaged in a debate or two.

Since it was impossible to “cover” all of history in nine months and because I wanted students to really learn and understand history, I had to choose carefully and devote adequate time to each unit. As I got to know my students, I would revisit and revise my plans. There was a general outline that I was expected to follow. For example, 20th century U.S. History should include units on the World Wars and the Great Depression. Each year, however, more history is added to the textbooks (but more time is not added to the school year), so teachers need to make decisions. And sometimes, something so big happens (such as 9/11), we must stop what we are doing for a day or two in order to allow questions, grief, and a return to normalcy.

Toward the end of my career, state test scores were used both to determine whether a teacher was “Highly Qualified” and to compare schools throughout the state. My class sizes had increased to as many as 32 students per class (multiplied by six classes per day). These classes consistently included children who either had Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or were English Language Learners — or both. Earlier in my career, these classes would have had two teachers in the same classroom. Over time, teachers who were certified in both their subject matter and special education (like me) were counted as two teachers and given large classes with little assistance.

In addition to unmanageable class sizes, schools had turned the state’s “Recommended Curriculum” into their “Required Curriculum” because the state tests were based on this curriculum.  I experienced firsthand the impact this curriculum had on the morale of both the teachers and the students. It was immediate and palpable. Suddenly, teachers had scripts and timelines to follow - regardless of whether the students were “getting it.” These scripts did not allow for in-depth learning or enrichment. Both disruptive behavior and absenteeism increased. I no longer had the autonomy to do what I knew was best for my students. My passion for teaching waned, as my mental and physical health suffered.

When schools become places where only test scores matter, and school boards limit honest, meaningful opportunities to learn about people, neither students nor teachers want to come to school. If Delaware is to attract and retain good teachers, reduce disruptive behaviors in the classroom, and improve student learning, the state must stop placing test scores over student learning, reduce class sizes, provide meaningful and individualized professional development for teachers, and allow teachers the autonomy to do the job that they have been trained to do.

Kathleen M. Doyle is a retired Delaware educator.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware is failing at public education. We have to stop our obsession with test scores