State official says better student test scores requires collaborative effort
Improving student performance on standardized tests, including the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), takes a collaborative effort of schoolteachers and administrators, students and, especially, parents, according to a state education official. Dr. Anthony Tezik, state Department of Education regional coordinator for the Division of Federal Programs, addressed a group last week at the Cox-Donahey Elementary School and gave advice to parents and Brownsville Area School District administrators on improving student test scores, especially on the PSSA.
Student scores on the PSSA tests have become extremely important since the federal government passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001. That law requires all students to become proficient in reading and math by 2014, a goal that will be measured by performance on the PSSA tests.
Tezik said NCLB was a result of continuous complaints from employers who said that hired high school graduates could not do the basic math and reading required to perform blue-collar work.
But, as the law has put many school districts under pressure to have students score high on the PSSAs, it may be in the best interest of students to perform well on the test, for their own sake.
Parents learned that students’ PSSA scores are included on their transcripts, and students must pass the PSSA tests in their junior year to graduate from high school. If a child does not pass the test, the school must tutor him and have him retake the PSSA or take an equivalent test, which the student must pass in order to receive a diploma.
Tezik said NCLB holds everyone accountable for a child’s education. He expressed the importance of parental involvement and said it has been proven that children perform better when their parents are involved in their education.
While Tezik said that successful education is a “collaborative effort” between students, parents, teachers, administrators, the school board and the state, he said a child’s education starts at home.
“A parent has the child a number of years before school starts. It is important to develop a foundation that prepares the child for school. Everyone is key. Parents are sending the child to us to be educated, but education starts at home and becomes a collaborative effort when they enter school. It’s been proven that children with parental involvement achieve more,” Tezik said.
Tezik emphasized some important, but simple, things a parent should do to encourage good school performance: “Love your child unconditionally, support your child, especially in school, and get more involved with academics and know what your child is doing and what programs are offered.”
Tezik – who has been involved in education for the past 36 years, including 20 years as a public school teacher and 16 years with the state Department of Education – said parents should start early and try to incorporate learning into everyday activities in the home, such as cooking or watching television.
By doing this, Tezik said, a parent shows a child a legitimate interest in the learning process and opens up the line of communication regarding school and anything involving the child.
Tezik said the school should provide “parent compacts,” which are packets of material given to each parent to provide tips for working with a child at home, emphasizing things like getting enough sleep, eating breakfast and incorporating lessons into daily activity.
Tezik suggested incorporating math and reading into cooking and baking with a child. He also suggested talking to a child about television programs by asking questions about a character’s action, what will happen next or what other ways the program could have ended.
Tezik said, though, that when trying to incorporate learning into daily activities, a parent should “be careful not to become a teacher at home.”
“Just try to get the student to interact and open up. Eventually, your child will come to you about other things once the communication is open,” he said. “You do not want to create a frustrating situation at home where you become the teacher. You want to make it an interactive process that is very relaxed.”
For example, Tezik said, when reading a book with a child, a parent should never make the child sound out words he or she doesn’t know.
“Tell them the word and move on. It’s supposed to be a fun activity. Don’t make it a tedious and difficult situation,” he said.
Tezik also offered advice to the school on improving student performance.
He said that state government is contemplating making kindergarten a full day and looking at extending the school day and the school year for all students.
He said schools should make sure they are “maximizing instructional time.”
Tezik said teachers often allow students to spend too much time planning for holiday parties and festivities and also collect schoolbooks too early at the end of the school year.
“I know after Memorial Day many teachers collect books. That should not be allowed. They should teach up until the last day of school,” Tezik said.
He also said that too much time is spent planning for parties. At one school he visited, he said, a parent complained that her child was being taught how to carve a pumpkin for three weeks, when the child can’t even read.
“Schools are going to have to take a strong look at how teachers and students prepare for parties. I’m not saying do away with Christmas and Halloween parties, but plan for that party in two hours, not for two days,” he said.
“I know how hard teachers work, but are we working smart?” Tezik added. “We are really going to have to watch everything we are doing.”