The Unity Group is greatly disturbed that the Tennessee Department of Education remains steadfast in its stance that TN Ready will continue to be administered during this academic year. We would hope that the Department would strongly take into consideration that this is a time of national crisis, and many systems in the state have elected to close school as a safeguard measure which serves to help alleviate unnecessarily exposing students to the Coronavirus and other seasonal ailments. This is a practical and prudent measure.
Reasons to suspend TN Ready on this year are many. First, the U. S. Department of Education has announced it would strongly consider all waiver request.
Secondly, there are many who have concerns over high stakes testing. We are concerned that NCLB ushered in an era where teachers are forced to teach towards the test, and not to the abilities, capabilities, and creative ingenuity that is within all students.
Likewise, during the last five years, public confidence in the ability to administer the test has been greatly shaken. There have been multiple test vendors, measurement errors, the exposure that many schools lack the technological infrastructure to administer the test digitally because of the lack of computers and other forms of technology, and appropriate accommodations and modifications that takes into account the diverse needs of all learners. Quite simply put, TN Ready was not ready for half a decade. In fact, many parents have simply chosen to "Opt- Out."
The constraints placed on teachers is another concern. There will not be sufficient time to adequately administer the test and maintain other mandates that are required by law. If we can relieve the stress of this test on schools then why don't we? It must be remembered, many of the questionable testing practices that have surfaced in places like Atlanta were in large measure due to the stress placed on schools to reach often unobtainable benchmarks.
Finally, we have questions on who designs the test. Do these companies that devise test develop questions from a diverse perspective? Are the test culturally relevant and responsive? Do they take into account how students are prepared to take a test? Are the formats designed to take into account the diverse needs of all learners.
In closing, standardized test should be used as a means to review the growth rate of students, but all too often they are used punitively as a way to punish schools and teachers. In education, student- centered approaches that favor hands-on instruction that is project, problem and personalized based. They should be used to build up the capacity of schools, and be used as a guide in curriculum development, the necessary modifications and accommodations in student learning and development, and be used to increase the self esteem, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation to extrinsically demonstrate how they have grown, learned and achieved. For these reasons, the Unity Group joins like- minded organizations in calling for the Tennessee Department of Education to suspend TN Ready for this academic year, and dedicate itself to more productive avenues that will support school systems and students as they seek ways to deal with the growing national and global crisis that is the Coronavirus.
Unity Group of Chattanooga
Sherman E. Matthews Jr., Chairman
Eric Atkins, Cooresponding Secretary