Are you a STAAR?

The season of STAAR is upon us. (DUN DUN DUUUN!)

Over the past few weeks we have begun to see Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube blow up with videos of teachers and principals encouraging their students to "Pass the STAAR."

Haven't seen it? Ok, open a new tab. Go to Youtube and search the word "STAAR." Now, scroll down. ...But don't get too lost in the videos, be sure to come back and finish reading.
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               ...Welcome back!

Long ago I learned that it's always best to start by saying something positive so here it is...
The wonderful thing about these videos is that they show principals and teachers out of their normal "professional" role. Students that watch these videos are sure to laugh along with their educators. They see that we too can act like goofballs. Showing students your silly side is something I am 100% on board with.

Now to my concern.

These videos are made to encourage students to PASS the STAAR test. The message that is being sent to both teachers and students is that PASSing is the most important thing. Think about it as a student... the principal takes time out to make a silly video for the school to tell you that you must PASS this long and difficult test.

I don't know about you but if I were a student watching these videos I am sure that I would feel an unbelievable amount of pressure. Even as a teacher, to see the principal putting that much effort into delivering this message to the students, the pressure on the teacher increases as well. We all know what happens when a teacher feels pressure for her students to perform well... the teacher unintentionally places that pressure on the students.

Let's reflect for a minute... Will singing and dancing to tell kids that they must PASS an upcoming test really make a difference in their test scores? 

Kids naturally want to PASS the test. Kids want to succeed. They strive to make their teachers and parents proud. Some of my hardest working students of all time are ones that were struggling learners who could never in a million years pass that test. The message sent by these videos tells struggling hard working kiddos that their success is measured by a test score instead of their effort. The kids that pass easily are left feeling like they accomplished something incredible... when in actuality maybe the test didn't challenge them much at all.

Ask yourself... What could be the effect of sending messages like this to students year after year?

When did passing a test become more important than effort? What if we avoided ever telling students they had to PASS and instead told them that the test is a snap shot of what they know on one day. It's a chance to show off their skills and use their learned strategies when things get tricky. 

WHAT IF the song we made before the STAAR test didn't tell kids to PASS at all... but instead told them to focus on the things that are really important?

It's not about the test. It's about fostering a society of learners that are able to solve problems and ask questions. It's about the effort one puts forth when faced with a challenge. It's about applying learning. Most of all, it's about fostering the self worth of a child.

We don't need to pressure kids to PASS, they put enough pressure on themselves. We need to make sure that they know they are important. They matter. The outcome of the test does not define their success. We must help to build students up and celebrate successes of those that pass while being very careful to not diminish the effort put forth by students that fail.

At the end of the day, the self worth of a child matters way more than the score on a test.

Go on, make those silly videos... encourage students to do their best... but please don't send the message that student must pass. Adjust the lyrics a bit and you will have an incredibly motivational song about the things that really do matter.

It's NOT "All About The Test"....it's all about the effort. It's about preserving the esteem of our students.