A letter to the Department of Education from a parent

My children have been in elementary school during the past nine
years. We experienced life before SOL's and have experienced
first-hand the degradation of education post SOL's. I am very
fortunate to have bright children, so failing the tests have not been
a concern. However, they are learning a lot less than they were
before. They are memorizing (but not understanding) a plethora of
social studies facts, but they are not learning creative problem
solving nor getting enough writing.

Pre-SOL's they were taught the basics and given creative problems to
work on. They thought deeply about issues, engaged in classroom
debates, wrote plays about American History and gave presentations.
Now third grade is disasterously boring. It is nothing more than a
year long trial of being banged over the head with things to memorize.
I discussed the detail of the content of the ancient cultures with my
daughter's third grade teacher last year. Her comment was that it was
simply too much. The children have no context for understanding the
material they are being forced to committ to memory. As she said,
"they think the ancient cultures are vacation destinations."

My oldest had an incredible social studies experience in sixth grade.
She had to produce some remarkable project work that required her to
integrate concepts with creative problem solving and present them
neatly and succinctly. This year, I have a son in sixth grade. I was
thrilled when he was assigned to the same social studies teacher, but
then appalled when I found out she was told that because there is now
a 6th grade SOL test, she needs to cut out many of the projects.

We considered moving to London about five years ago before all this
intensive accountability testing was fully implemented. We met and
interviewed staff at six different primary schools there. When we
asked them the difference between American and British students, we
were told that "the Americans have terrible penmanship and they are
not good with foreign languages, but they are incredibly creative and
can easily think out-of-the-box." We are jeopardizing that wonderful
ability to solve problems.

What is happening with the current educational focus is we are
creating a nation of memorizers. What the world will need to solve
its problems are out-of-the-box thinkers. Maybe other countries will
be able to step up to the plate to provide the answers. It is less
likely to be Americans if the education focus continues as it is.

I understand the need for some testing, however, I do not believe it
is necessary to the level of detail that is being required. Most
children learn through interactive experiences in which they are
required to think deeply and respond to material, not from reciting
and memorizing.

Sincerely,

a mom (Name withheld for privacy)

Oakton, VA
 

From the Department of Education

Thank you for your recent message. I have forwarded it to the members
of the Board of Education.

The members of the Board of Education (the Board had three classroom
teachers as members when the assessment system was put in place) feel
that the SOL leave lots of room for creativity in teaching. The
methods and curriculum used is up to the local school division to
determine. I hope you will share your thoughts with your teachers and
principals there in Oakton. Communities (taxpayers) demanded that our
public schools show that children are learning, and we set the SOL
only after extensive public involvement regarding what the public
expects students to know and be able to do at the various grade
levels. Plus, the federal No Child Left Behind Act now requires
accountability beyond what Virginia's program requires.

Ultimately, of course, higher achievement happens at the individual
school level. We know that students of all backgrounds can perform at
high levels when they are supported by focused, data-driven
instruction that is aligned to the academic standards and taught by
well-qualified educators who believe that all students can succeed
with a rigorous curriculum. The Board of Education's fundamental
commitment is that all of Virginia's students achieve at high levels,
taught by high-quality teachers and staff in safe, supportive, and
well-managed schools.

Thank you again for writing.

Margaret N. Roberts, Ph.D.
Executive Assistant to the Board of Education

And the mom responds: 

I thank you for your response. If the goal of our education system is to
produce data-filled children, then fact-hammering followed by testing is the
way to go. If the result is to be children that are equipped to creatively
solve the larger problems that they will face in the future, then I would
have to disagree with the current approach to education. Education should
train minds to think---should train minds to look at and analyze data and
develop an appropriate solution.

Respectfully submitted,

name withheld