Trusting numbers more than we should

Research has discovered that calorie counters on apps such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit are, for those of use trying to lose weight, not accurate. The report states:

Even when you're using a tech gadget to track calories out, the results are likely too high to tie to the amount you should or can consume.

Yikes! You mean those four minutes on the elliptical don't really burn 400 calories!

While this is both mildly amusing and annoying, how does this connect to learning?

Look at how I have rewritten the sentence about tech gadgets and calories.

Even when you're using a STANDARDIZED TEST to track LEARNING, the results are likely too high (OR POSSIBLY LOW) to tie to the RESULT TO ACTUAL GROWTH OR PERFORMANCE.

As a society, we have become enamored with test results. We have more data than we can possibly use.

That is true in schools. We give an assessment to identify a student's current performance. If they are below a predetermined threshold we, at times, progress monitor every week, every two weeks, every month to see if the student is improving. We then give a mid-year assessment to see what progress a student is making. We fret over decreases of a point or two and celebrate increases of a point or two.

We are driving ourselves and our students crazy!

We need to assess students. But let's do it reasonably.

Let's assess at the beginning of the year and the end of the year.

In between, let's trust the teacher to be able to identify if a student is making progress. Teachers sit down with students to listen, talk, ask questions, and, because they develop relationships with students and come to know them well, teachers know the progress a student is making.

Standardized assessments are clearly part of the process of coming to know if a student is making progress. But we have to also:

TRUST TEACHERS!

Teachers know more about their students than we are often willing to admit. Let's honor the knowledge and skill of our teachers and recognize that teachers can tell us a lot about whether or not students are learning.