Testing Too Much?: A Principal's Guide to Cutting Back Testing and Reclaiming Instructional Time

There is too much testing in American Public Schools that is robbing teachers of valuable instructional time. Some of it is mandatory, but the vast majority is not, and under the control of districts, schools and even teachers to reduce. Testing Too Much? provides a rationale and set of three models to use in cutting back on testing to reclaim valuable instructional time. It also includes a high school case study describing how the themes proposed in the book can be accomplished. Instructional time is a complex subject that is discussed in detail and the underlying research why it is so important, especially for disadvantaged children. To address how best to cut back on non-mandated testing there is a chapter, written in plain terms, on how to judge the value of a test. Three models are then discussed on how to approach cutting back on testing by as much as 25% that can recapture as much as ten days or more of instruction during a typical school year. The goal of the book is to help school leaders and teachers find ways, amongst current local testing practices, to cut back, improve their instruction and the educational experiences of their students.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: Accountability on Steroids: How we Got Here Chapter Two: It’s the Law… Helping Parents Choose Not to Opt Out Chapter Three: What is the True Purpose of Schooling? Chapter Four: What Makes for a Good Test? Chapter Five: How to Cut Back on Testing – Three Models Chapter Six: The Research on Why Time Matters Chapter Seven: High School Case Study Chapter Eight: The Pathway to a Positive Culture Chapter Nine: What to Do with Reclaimed Instructional Time Chapter Ten: Epilogue: A Retrospective

About the Author :
Philip A. Streifer, PhD, is a consultant, author, recognized educator, and former superintendent of schools in Bristol and Avon, Connecticut and Barrington, Rhode Island. He was Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut and has published several books and articles on assessment, school improvement, and evaluation.

Review :
Phil Streifer’s new book is a must-read for anyone concerned with testing, data based decision-making, and instruction. Students need more instructional time. Finding the correct balance of testing and assessment with instructional time is an imperative all educators and reformers must consider. Streifer not only understands the concepts, but he has worked as a superintendent and instructional leader to pragmatically address them. This book is timely and clearly written, as well as grounded in research. In this book, Dr. Streifer brilliantly articulates how we have gotten so far out of balance and presents an illuminating path to create more time for learning and authentic use of student achievement data to improve instruction. Dr. Streifer offers an insightful view of the policy roadmap that has led us to our current paradigm. He discusses how the events and decisions over several decades have steered public education off course, resulting in a reduction of instructional time and a misguided accountability reliance on standardized test scores. This books presents a compelling argument for critically examining our use of testing with the goal of developing systems and protocols to use student achievement data to improve instruction. This is a must read for anyone involved in public education policy and especially for building, district, and state level educational leaders. Dr. Phil Streifer’s current book on testing offers a clear analysis of the misunderstandings surrounding testing in our schools. He provides readers with a reasoned approach that has been missing from school reform discussions for years about testing and its place in assessment of student performance. Streifer provides a powerful vision for a comprehensive approach to using testing efficiently and effectively. His book presents persuasive evidence on how educational leaders can bring about meaningful, systemic change to the way testing should be used to assess student performance. This is an important book for educators, parents, and policy makers to read to obtain a comprehensive analysis of the pitfalls of excessive testing in today’s schools. Phil Streifer has written an important book that challenges the way we’ve organized the work of school systems for a generation. While the standards and accountability movement has led to a collective understanding that we need to serve all children – especially the most vulnerable – at a higher level, Streifer asks whether we’ve gone too far. His experience in higher education, the private sector and the superintendency gives Dr. Streifer a unique perspective to question the status quo, and more importantly, propose viable alternatives. While assessment and metrics are certainly necessary to gauge the progress of schools, Dr. Streifer makes a clear case that they’re not sufficient if we want to achieve new levels of success in American public education. Testing Too Much is an important book for practitioners, policy makers and advocates for public education.