Every time I have a discussion about high stakes testing, it always ends with the same conclusion; there is very little wrong with student skills but they lack persistence. If they don’t read the passage then they will not be able to respond thoughtfully. If they don’t attempt a problem then they can’t possibly get it right. As much as I would like to blame the tests, because I am not a big fan of these types of summative assessments, I don’t think they are the real problem. Kids are not learning as much as they could for the same reason that they don’t do well on these tests. They lack persistence. They lack confidence. So what is the underlying cause for this and how do we change it? I tend to blame myself most of the time when kids aren’t learning mostly because I am the only person I have control over. Once again, while I can’t take all the blame, we are training kids to not be persistent and to believe they can’t do it. Of course, we are not badly intentioned teachers doing this but we are doing it systematically and as a culture.

In an NPR story entitled “Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle Learning” , Alix Spiegel explores the idea that there are different ways to approach learning. The important insight this story offered was that in Japan, students are encouraged to struggle through the learning process. In the United States, we praise students for being “smart”. A praise frequently used when students get the right answer or understand something quickly. The message they get is that learning should be easy so when it isn’t, they feel defeated, call themselves stupid and give up. One example used in this story was the response of parents to students doing well on a task. A Japanese parent might respond by telling the student that they worked very hard whereas an American parent might praise their student for being “smart”, something we presumably have no control over.

The elementary school in my place of residence, Montgomery Center, VT was just recognized in The Seven Days for their high test scores and low achievement gap. Are kids in Montgomery smarter? Is there something in the water? Slightly over half the students are still receiving free and reduced lunch, so it isn’t money. The faculty at Montgomery elementary say it’s because they believe that all their students can succeed. They say it’s because they have high expectations of all students (not just the smart ones). They have created a culture where all teachers are communicating this message to their students. Montgomery is small and it certainly is more doable to change the culture of a few. But Japan is not small?

How can we create a culture in our classrooms where making mistakes, struggling and taking risks is valued? I’d like to be a part of this conversation rather than the conversation about how to bring our test scores up.