Please consider the needs of students who by no fault of their own have had to learn through zoom classes, schoology and various other methods of online learning this spring when considering the decision to require Maryland state testing in government, math, science and English for the 2020 student group (“Educators: Maryland must lift mandated standardized testing requirement for next year,” May 20).
Parents and teachers have been most concerned about their students learning during COVID19 stay-at-home mandates. Most parents and teachers who I know have focused their primary energy on the well-being of their students. Secondarily, they have focused on the successful completion of coursework. From what I understand, the completion of coursework has often been on a pass/fail criteria. Many parents are managing three or more children and completing their own professional work in a work-at-home setting. To require students who have completed coursework in this environment and to take high-stakes tests on the content months later is not fair to students or teachers.
I have incredible empathy for these teachers and the students. Years ago, before my retirement, I had an opportunity to manage an annual report to Congress on effective teaching strategies. Quality teaching strategies always involved research-based curriculum and instruction, cooperative learning and time on task. I appreciate that we are in a new era yet effective teaching principles remain. No one can say that students have had effective teaching during this time frame. They have certainly had the best teaching available but none of the teaching strategies used have been tested and shown effective. We should never hold students accountable for learning in this setting on high-stakes tests. The harm caused by students performing poorly on the tests would be much greater than simply lifting the requirement this year.
I strongly encourage the Maryland Board of Education to drop the requirement for government, math, science and English testing for this 2020 cohort. The U.S. Department of Education has allowed states to request waiver for federal tests this year. The state of Maryland should do the same for the specific tests that it requires.
Beverley Norris, Darnestown
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