Meet National and State Education Standards Without Teaching to the Test

Accountability in education has been a political hot potato for decades, and when the Bush administration came to office, it upped the ante for schools around the country by insisting on a battery of national standardized tests to measure student achievement. Many school systems responded by standardizing their own curriculum, gearing instruction to the tests, and even eliminating recess and shortening lunch period to cram more learning time into an already hectic day.

The Obama administration also has educational excellence as a goal, but may well promote a more complex way of reaching that goal. However, both national and state education standards are here to stay. The trick is to meet those standards without giving up the many creative methods teachers use to motivate children to learn. There are ways for you to help students meet educational standards and pass those standardized exams without teaching to the test.

First, make sure you thoroughly understand the curriculum requirements of your classroom, and that those requirements conform to national and state education standards. Take part in school and regional meetings dealing with curriculum, and brainstorm with other teachers at your grade level to share approaches to meeting curriculum requirements. Armed with a thorough knowledge of your curriculum, you can create a variety of enjoyable learning opportunities that meet national and state education standards while respecting the skills and academic levels of all of your students.

There is no need to choose between teaching phonics and exposing children to enjoyable books. Integrate your curriculum by using high-quality children's literature to teach phonics and other basic reading skills; by combining reading and art lessons with history, social studies, science, and math; and by relying on the concepts of multiple intelligences theory and differentiated (individualized) learning to reach every child.