Part I – Testing in the Past:

Until 1995, there was almost no high stakes testing in New York State. To graduate from high school, students needed to pass “Regents Competency Tests” (RCTs), but they presented no difficulty for anyone who finished four years of high school.

Beginning in 1995, the Board of Regents changed the graduation policy, phasing in five Regents Exams as requirements for graduation. These exams were and are much harder than the RCTs; they are extremely content-intensive and effectively dictate curriculum for high school classes. As for elementary and middle school, before 2003,  the only high stakes tests that kids took occurred in 4th grade (for placement into middle schools) and in 8th grade (for placement into high schools). There were no exams required for promotion to the next grade nor were schools “graded” based upon test scores until Mayor Bloomberg made those evaluations a component of his education policy in 2003.

Part II – Testing Today:

Since 2003, students in grades 3-8 have taken exams in April – usually over the course of 6 days. Last year, the amount of total time for the tests jumped up dramatically. In 2011, third graders took 250 minutes of tests; in 2012, they sat for 540 minutes – 90 minutes a day for 6 days. For 3rd graders with IEPs granting double time accommodations, that became three hours a day for 6 days. In other words, some 8 year olds with IEPs were required to take an SAT a day for 6 days in April. These tests are “high stakes” in that several important decisions are made based upon them: for students, promotion to the next grade depends upon their scores; for teachers, whether or not they will be rehired depends upon the scores of their students; and for schools (read principals), 85% of the “grade” the school receives is determined by the scores of its students.

Part III – Testing Going Forward:

There is a great deal of mystery, uncertainty, and confusion about how much testing there will be in the future, but all indications suggest there will be more – much more. Starting this year (2012-13), the tests for grades 3-8 will be aligned with the new “Common Core” curriculum. The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a group of states (and Washington, D.C) working together to develop the Common Core Curriculum and assessments for it, is planning to have assessments beginning in pre-school (yes, you read that right) and going through grade 12.

In addition to the end of year assessments (like what exists now – the April tests), PARCC calls for interim testing, as well. There are already plans in place to have interim testing in NYC schools by 2014 – five in English, 4 in Math – every year, starting in 3rd grade (and maybe earlier). In other words, there will be an exam a month, as well as end-of-year tests.

If it seems like test preparation is dominating the curriculum now, just wait.

One Final Point Worth Noting:

In the past, all of the tests have been made public. Under the current contract with Pearson, the tests are to be kept absolutely secret, so that the public has no way to decide whether the questions on the tests are fair. We are left to rely on leaks, as during Pineapplegate, to see any of the questions.