The Truth as I see it: RISE Testing

I am sorry, I should have anticipated this topic. Some topics show up like clockwork, exactly at the same time every year.

So let’s talk about Standards Assessment or what we call RISE testing.

First of all, I have a bias. I am the world's worst test taker. I have never met someone with a lower ACT score than myself. When I first took the GRE, I was in the lowest 10% of the nation. I did pay a tutor and studied and retook the GRE and got average scores and I have never been happier in my life.

I was a smart kid but because I could not test well, I thought of myself as dumb. It was not until I got to graduate school when I earned a 4.0 in my master's and almost as high in my Doctorate that I realized, I am just different than other people. I can research and write, or give me an oral test and I will ace it every time. Some kids just learn differently than others. Over the years, I found out that there are many people like me in our community.

I believe there is a place for Standard Assessment, in education. I do not believe it should be the sole predictor but it can be a predictor. Standard Assessments just measure you with the mean of the population. It could be an indicator of the growth of a student or a school. It can be used to make sure we do not have holes in your education knowledge.

Before RISE, we had SAGE. I do not know which was the worst.
I was opposed to SAGE because the state started to use the scores as sole predictors of where a child or school existed. For example, a school was given a letter grade based on the results of SAGE. A school like Herriman high was given an F grade, because of our results. Clearly, Herriman High is not and never was an F-graded school, and there are other indicators that show our school is successful. Some people looked at the score and said, I do not want to send my kids there, and they had no clue how the school got the letter grade. By the way, most schools did poorly on this test. A couple schools in our District earned an A, but not many.

Why an F Grade.
First of all, parents can opt a child out of SAGE and also RISE. Second, students that were taking the test, knew that it could not be counted against them, saw the test as a joke, and did not take the test seriously. Those factors made the test meaningless in evaluating a school.

A couple other major factors worried me about these tests.

For a while, the state wanted to use the scores to rate teachers, and money would be allocated to teachers based on test scores. I guess we could likely fire teachers based on test scores. This is wrong and was quickly corrected. (I think teachers still have a fear that this will be the case in the future)

Other states (not Utah) want to use test scores to determine if kids should advance grades. Arizona was considering holding back 50% of the third grade for one year.

Again, a Standards Assessment should not be the sole indicator of anything. It should be one piece of the puzzle.

Eventually, Utah moved from SAGE to RISE which was a nightmare. I personally think, that RISE has had so many problems, I do not even trust their results.

Critics say it does psychological hard on our children. Maybe. I know testing affected me and my self-esteem, but it was not life-changing. Our schools give other Standard Assessments. That is what we do in school.
Some critics do not like that we gather data on our children. Okay, but we gather data on our children through every class assignment. It is how we measure our kids and help them grow. I think we need to protect that data, but I am not sure we need to be overly concerned with Data Collection with the RISE testing.

It is important to remember that yOUR teacher, school, and district have no control over this test. The RISE test is mandated by law for grades 3 to 8.
We use APSIRE in grades 9 and 10 which is an ACT Prep. Even the ACT which is a Standard Assessment is being used less by colleges as an indicator of success. Many colleges no longer require the ACT for admitance.

There was a provision set into law a few years back that allows a student who does good on the RISE test, to have the ability to let this could as their final in a class. This was to encourage students to take the test more seriously.

I believe there are some overzealous teachers and schools that really want your child to do well as it is reflective of the job they are doing. I do not pay much attention to the RISE test anymore. I do not look at the results nor should YOU. You have the right as a parent to opt your child out, but know what you are opting them out of. It is a chance to take a test that will not count against you, where you can see how you are doing verse your peers.

The way I see it, as long as RISE or any other test, is not the sole indicator of success. As long as we help our children know that each child is different and you might be like Dr. Robinson, who can not take a test, you will be okay. As long as we do not pressure kids unduly and we protect the results but share them with parents and teachers, RISE is not as bad as it appears. If you are concerned in any way, go to your school and sign the opt-out form. It might be too late this year.

I hope state Lawmakers will study this issue and come up with better solutions that indicate if a child, teacher, or school is succeeding.

That is the Truth as I see it with RISE Testing.

If you see it differently or want me to add other important features to this topic, contact me 801-699-8017 or DrDarrellRobinson@Gmail.com