Solange Castro Belcher: In your own words, what is "Students Against Testing?"
Bill Wetzel: It’s a national resource for students and other activists to take action against standardized tests. We also work on a local level. For example, we’re working with New York schools to organize middle school boycotts. We also send out information packets to Iowa residents and go to schools in Iowa and New York at 7:00 AM to distribute flyers to the students. It’s fascinating to talk to students. They have amazing opinions.
SCB: What goals has SAT (great name, by the way) achieved since its inception?
BW: The idea for SAT spawned last May at the John Dewey Summit on progressive education. Everyone was pointing out how it was hard to do any reform in education because these tests are taking over every dimension of education. Last fall we put up the Internet site and then we had a demonstration at the 2001 National Education Summit. That’s basically a closed-door meeting of so-called education leaders to define the future policy in education. However, it consists of 30 conservative state governors, 30 or 40 corporate CEOs, a few education think tank staff and enough media to spread the word. The chair was the CEO of IBM, Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., the same man who chaired the Joe Camel campaign.
It was the 3rd or 4th summit and there were no local teachers, parents or administrators. It was hard to get to because it was an hour and a half outside of New York and, because it was a month after September 11th. You had to sit in security checkpoints for two hours. We got 20 folks out there in the middle of nowhere, and what we didn’t know is that a high-crimes investigator was assigned to cover the event. They wouldn’t even let us demonstrate at the entrance, which has a half-mile driveway. They put us in flea market about a half mile from the entrance. It couldn’t have gotten more absurd.
Since then we’ve been trying to spread the word. We did a mailing to about 2000 people and had a small event at the McGraw Hill awards in education, which is a Tuxedo clad event, sponsored by McGraw Hill, the largest and most profitable testing company in the country. They also wrote the Bush education plan. What Bush didn’t say in his education plan is that now that we’re moving to phonics, McGraw Hill will write the phonics book. The education plan was a victory for the Bush-McGraw-Hill Empire. These families have known each other since the 30’s. There was an expose about their relationship in the The Nation.
Right now parents in New York are trying to pass legislation that would allow a waiver for their children from taking the exam. We’re also working to coordinate middle school boycotts. There are about four schools that agreed to boycott the 8th grade math exam.
SCB: What is the best way for students and teachers to end standardized testing?
BW: It depends on the specific situation. One of the most effective tactics is to boycott the exam. Boycotts are effective because the media love them, and it gives the state a strong signal about how teachers, students and parents feel about testing. However, in some states, there’s not going to be many people who have the privilege to boycott. If at all possible, staging boycotts is a really effective action, the media loves it, and it gives the state a heads up on how teachers, students and parents feel about this. But assuming that a boycott isn’t an option, we have these parody tests that we give out. We also have parody tests such as, "The Best Standardized Test Ever." Some Colorado students held a "test fest" where they did all they could to prove that they were learning. Some students performed plays, played music, etc. There are many ways to get creative, even if it means taking the exam, but wearing a shirt while you’re doing it. Or students can hang a banner the morning of exams. I like asking public officials to take the exams with the students. A PBS reporter asked the Massachusetts State Commissioner of Education how he scored on the test and he said "well, they didn’t grade it…but I’m sure I would have passed." I heard about a story in California where a teacher in Palo Alto sent back the cash bonus she received for the high scoring in her district as protest. Another idea is to target a corporation where the people are profiting from these tests. The companies related to testing have never taken much heat before. Any kind of creative statement about this mania that goes beyond slogan screaming can help.
SCB: Some critics say that testing holds schools and teachers accountable for student learning. What are some alternatives that SAT proposes?
BW: Just eliminate the high stakes nature of the exams. The real solution is having a curriculum where students are learning, not testing. I’m a big fan of a questions based curriculum. Instead of being spoon-fed facts the students are asking questions and figuring things out in their own way. Students are a lot more interested if they’re listening to each other’s questions, not some prescribed top-down style. A generation of teachers now are being taught how to test-teach, not how to engage the kids. The more real world and real life you can make the tests, the better. There are schools where students can design their own classes, or create individualized programs of study. And there’s no room for this in the testing craze.
SCB: If students or parents want to learn more about your organization, what should they do?
BW: The easiest thing is to head to www.nomoretests.com. They can also contact me at billw@nomoretests.com.
