Free More Than a Score by Jesse Hagopian Page B

provocation has been education policies so profoundly misguided, destructive, and corrupt as to defy the imagination. But the response reflects the immense talent, energy, and idealism found among America’s public school teachers—a group whose abilities policy makers have profoundly underestimated. The Badass Teachers Association is what those of us who grew up in neighborhoods like Brooklyn would call payback . America’s teachers, truly a sleeping giant, have awakened and it turns out they are BAD TO THE BONE!

Standardized Testing and Students of Color

    I’ll never forget the day that my students lost their science experiment. I was teaching fourth grade in East Harlem, and we were in the middle of a weeklong investigation. Teams were assembled with trays of powders and liquids. Students were busy all over the room mixing and pouring, making observations and recording them. At one point in the proceedings my supervisor entered the classroom and told my students to stop what they were doing. As she held the door open, youngsters from another classroom delivered stacks of test preparation workbooks. My supervisor turned to me and explained that we needed to stop our experiment and immediately begin preparing for the upcoming state standardized tests. Assuming I misunderstood her, I suggested we would begin test preparation immediately following the experiment in progress—since it was in progress. She clarified: we were to clean up that very moment, and begin test preparation. No more science experiment.
    There’s something reassuring about the tests. Every student takes the same test, so there’s an appearance of fairness. The poor and the rich are treated the same, apparently. Every student receives a score, so there’s the semblance of transparency. Numerical scores provide an easy-to-grasp gauge of student progress: high scores are good, low scores are not. So it makes sense, on some level, for everyone—students, teachers, and administrators—to focus on raising test scores. If scores go up, that means students are learning and growing. It shows that teachers and administrators are doing their jobs. I don’t entirely blame my supervisor for canceling our science experiment. Her action was logical. Our school was populated by students who traditionally have not done well on state standardized tests. Low scores or slow progress in raising scores could mean bad things for students, teachers, administrators; they could even herald the end of the school itself. So administrators are forced to prioritize raising test scores. In turn, teachers must force students to focus on raising their test scores.
    The idea that standardized tests can be a lever of advancement for people of color has some powerful roots. There was a time when black people and other US “minority” groups were excluded from public sector employment, for example. Working for the government in transportation, social services, or education, you pretty much had to know someone to get a foot in the door. When civil service exams were introduced, many (but not all) people who had previously been excluded were now at least potentially included. To this day, bus drivers, firefighters, and many other public sector employees get their positions by taking a test. In most people’s minds, a test is an opportunity, and believing in our children and encouraging our children means teaching them that they can pass anyone’s test.
    For people who have experienced racism in the schools, standardized tests can seem like part of the solution. In 2013 I participated in an event at a public school where parents, educators, and students came to discuss high-stakes standardized testing. It seemed to me that most of the attendees were already opposed to the spread of such tests, but at least one man was on the fence. Toward the end of the discussion, this parent rose to ask a question. He was dark-skinned and had an