A new nationwide report on academic testing supports an observation of many Montana teachers and parents: students are taking too many exams.
Research organization Education First calls it “assessment clutter.” The nonprofit in a February report said public schools in most states have layers upon layers of tests used to track student learning – and some are redundant or produce data that’s not put to use.
This issue is top of mind for educators across Montana trying to work with the state’s new elementary exam, called MAST. It’s intended to allow districts to cut down on other types of tests, but many say it’s had the opposite effect.
Students have noticed, too. Great Falls high schooler Lydia Comstock told members of the Board of Public Education at a recent meeting she’s heard teachers say they’re losing valuable instructional time to testing.
“I think a loss of instructional time can coincide with a loss of students, or a loss of attention in classroom spaces, so it’s good to see there’s focus on that,” Comstock said.
State Superintendent Susie Hedalen reiterated that her agency is trying to improve the state exam. She touted fixes, like cutting down the time it takes to administer. Education First found that states with exams similar to Montana’s spend about 34% more time testing than other states.
