Wilemon and the big bad TAAS
"The proof of the puddin' is in the tastin'." That's one of those old five-cent down-home country sayings that makes a whole lot more sense than some of the high-falutin' stuff you might read in a college philosophy textbook. But just in case there are some of them high-falutin' types out there reading this, I'll explain what it means. It means that it don't do you any good to brag about your puddin' if it tastes awful! The only way you can earn your puddin' bragging rights is if your puddin' actually tastes good.
Well, the way I see it, T.C. Wilemon Elementary School just earned their bragging rights. No, they didn't make a big batch of homemade pudding. They did something even better. Let me start by giving you some background information. For the entire 1996-97 school year, Wilemon Elementary has been under close scrutiny because of some numbers on a piece of paper. People's jobs have been on the line and the school has borne the brunt of much criticism, because one particular set of TAAS scores from the previous school year just wasn't up to snuff.
Some of you may be wondering what this TAAS thing is. Well, TAAS is the almighty be-all and end-all of tests that stamps the final mark of approval or denial on a student, so that the world will know without a doubt whether this particular young person has what it takes to be successful in life, or whether he or she is destined for a life of mediocrity and failure. Isn't it amazing that all of this can be determined simply by looking at a piece of paper on which a child has written down the answers to some questions?
I have never pretended even for a moment to be any kind of expert on anything that's really important, and I don't consider myself to be all that particularly smart, either. But I think I am pretty safe in assuming that the people who are out there in the trenches of education every single day (particularly the classroom teachers) might know just a little bit more about what actually works in educating our children, than do the professional "experts" on education who sit in lavish offices in Austin and Washington, some of whom probably have absolutely no experience whatsoever in actually educating children, and most of whom probably have a LOT of experience in making decisions based not upon what is right and what works, but rather on how a particular decision will impact their political career long-term. (That was a really long sentence, wasn't it?) So please forgive me if I tend to put more trust in teachers than I do in politicians and political lobbyists, when it comes to knowing what is right for my children in terms of their education.
Now, I've said all that simply to say this. (I bet you were wondering if I was ever going to get around to actually saying anything.) I haven't personally talked to a lot of politicians about the TAAS test and whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. I have, on the other hand, personally talked to a lot of teachers about whether the TAAS is a good thing or a bad thing. Actually, it would probably be more accurate to say that I have listened to a lot of teachers talk about the TAAS test. Once you get a teacher started talking about the TAAS test, you can just sit back and listen, because they will probably have a LOT to say about it! So, how do these professional EDUCATORS feel about the EDUCATIONAL value of the almighty TAAS test? They think it stinks! That pretty well sums it up.
Now, I'm sure it would be unfair to say that every teacher feels that way about TAAS. But I can probably count on one hand, without even using all my fingers, the number of teachers I have encountered over the past couple of years who have had anything positive to say about the TAAS test. The pressure to pass the TAAS robs teachers of their creativity and flexibility in teaching, it steals much of the joy from what is supposed to be a very rewarding job. It robs students of the opportunity to learn subjects that are not covered on the TAAS. In short, it takes away much more than it gives in terms of long-lasting educational value.
So, why in tarnation do we have this thing anyway? Well, the way I figure it (and remember, I don't claim to be an expert or anything, I just "calls 'em like I sees 'em"), the politically astute crowd down in Austin, who have political educational agendas, must see some good in it. As they sit behind their mahogany desks looking out of their huge bay windows, they must have some secret knowledge that is not available to teachers. They must know something about how to educate our children that those people who actually have experience educating children (that would be the teachers) don't know. (Oops, now I'm starting to sound sarcastic, and my mama wouldn't approve of me being sarcastic, so that's all I have to say about that.)
So, what does all of this have to do with dear old T.C. Wilemon Elementary School? Just this. Last year they were on the bottom of the heap. This year, they came out on the TOP of the heap! That's right, district-wide they had the HIGHEST TAAS scores of all elementary campuses! They worked hard to make that happen (because their jobs were on the line), and they did make it happen! Congratulations, Wilemon teachers, students, administrators, and staff. Lots of us always knew you were a bunch of winners, and now you have proven it to the world!
Now we've just got to figure out how we can get rid of all the unnecessary pressure put on our teachers by "outcome-based" systems like the TAAS.
Somehow, we must take the power of education out of the hands of the politicians, and put it back where it belongs -- in the hands of those angels known as classroom teachers. Maybe someone smarter than me will come along and figure that one out!
Paul O'Rear is a resident of Waxahachie, a youth minister and the father of two children.