Teaching to the Test: A Call for Change

American education is doing a disservice to students, one standardized test at a time. The curricula in our public schools persist in implementing the outdated method of “teaching to the test.”¹ 

The criticism of this approach is not new. Arguments against teaching to the test are often paired with criticism about our education system “dumbing us down.” Yet public schools continue to overload our kids with the task of rote memorization without teaching real-world application skills. Students memorize loads of information and then regurgitate it to achieve certain metrics on standardized tests for each grade level.

And it’s not working. Math, reading and science scores in our public schools are at an all-time low.  Student anxiety and depression, and teacher burnout are all at all-time highs.² Recent data on the state of public education reflect a crisis of epic proportions, including record numbers of chronic absenteeism, depression and anxiety among junior high and high school students.³

And on top of all that, although data shows that life skills are vital to positive outcomes post-high school, it is mostly non-existent in public education.⁴

Considering the diversity in intellect, socioeconomic background, culture and personal strengths and interests among our children, it is clear that one-size-fits-all methodology in education is counterproductive to learning and growth. The call to action is clear and simple. We must find a new and better way to prepare our students for the real world after graduation.

The Failure of Standardized Testing Is Absent from the Political Landscape

Despite volumes of data on poor educational performance in the U.S., we are doing very little to meaningfully change the system. In fact, this vital issue was not even on the radar of either candidate in the 2024 presidential election.⁵ So it is up to us to be the catalyst for change.

Some state governments are trying to improve the educational situation. (See how Illinois has been handling funding, for example, in our “Tackling Today’s Issues in Education” article.) But change is slow and inconsistent.

Revolutionizing Education: Focusing on Emotional and Social Intelligence

We, the people, can and should foster change—and that is why the nonprofit, Education Revolution Association (ERA) was founded. Our core mission is to empower our youth to flourish in self and in life.

Fred Ode, former math teacher and ERA founder, seeks to overhaul our broken educational system. Failing test scores and chronic absenteeism reflect a dire need for change. The ERA Life Discovery Curriculum is our solution for a first step in modernizing education to be more valuable for our students.

 Know Thyself: Life Discovery for Lasting Achievement

Teaching to the Test of Life™ encapsulates the ERA mission. We see school as a place for exploration of social and emotional intelligence and practical life skills. We call this the fourth “R”—Reality—and prioritize it as high as the 3 Rs: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.

At age 18, most high school students enter the world of adulthood unprepared to face real-life challenges or identify opportunities.⁶  ERA’s Life Discovery course is designed to fill in the gaps for essential life skills that have been missing from public education. The class outlines critical areas of learning that include:

• Entrepreneurial and Career Discovery
• Financial Literacy and Ethical Decision Making
• Communications and Team Dynamics
• Job Interviewing Preparation and Networking
• Creative Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
• Goal Setting and Leadership

Who Am I, and Where Am I Going?

While students can rattle off facts about mitochondria or the Pythagorean theorem, they have often not explored themselves, their interests or their strengths. Without this strong sense of self, many students graduate aimless and unsure of what’s next. They are not equipped with a true understanding of their unique skills and abilities. They are unsure of themselves and unprepared for what they want to achieve in life.

Most schools offer basic resources to help students find their path. But a few junior/senior year guidance counselor meetings are too late and insubstantial to provide real opportunity for self and career discovery. ERA’s vision is that, by graduation, students have a solid sense of who they are and where they’re headed.

Secondly, students must be taught how to cultivate empathy and kindness toward others.⁷  Understanding others, communication, cooperation, and the celebration of our unique differences, bring personal strength and self-confidence. Kindness and empathy bring the possibility and hope of a brighter future for our children and our communities. Combined, these key elements allow students to maximize their individual potential.

Teaching to the Test of Life™ vs. Teaching to the Test

Dr. Eugene Beresin, professor of psychiatry at Harvard University, believes that teaching to standardized testing has ignored the most important marker of success in life: social and emotional intelligence.  These profound elements shape our lives and determine happiness and success projections—and are all but excluded in our classrooms.

Beresin echoes the sentiment that volumes of data represents when he says: “Success in college, and in the work world, goes far beyond mastering core knowledge. Let’s face it, most folks who lose or leave their jobs do so because of interpersonal conflicts, poor executive function, skills, or problems with attitudes and behavior. That is, they don’t embody the social and emotional skills needed to navigate or be a useful part of the organization.”⁸

To combat the absence of social and emotional learning (SEL) in classrooms, great ideas, resources, think tanks, data, strategies, and policies to change education already exist. But, while effective, these methodologies and resources exist in a silo. The lack of cooperation between entities creates a major roadblock in preparing students for life after graduation. ERA’s vision is to create a centralized curriculum resource that schools can easily implement and adapt to provide the SEL and career guidance that is so sorely lacking.

A Curriculum that Fosters Student Growth, Success, and Personal Happiness

The reality is, when students graduate from high school, they should have a keen sense of who they are and where they are headed in life—and most do not. Teaching to the test has been failing for decades.⁹ That is precisely why ERA’s philosophy of Teaching to the Test of Life™ is critically important in guiding and nurturing students at all grade levels and abilities on a path of self-discovery, self-confidence, and self-worth.

Conclusion: Positive Change Is on the Horizon!

The vast amount of time and resources spent getting students ready to take standardized tests has proven futile in preparing students for success in life.¹⁰ The bright side is, we can turn this around by offering curriculum that teaches to the Test of Life™. 

Students will have the opportunity to:

• Develop their unique strengths and bolster their confidence
• Identify best-fit life and career paths
• Achieve their highest educational potential
• Cultivate kindness, empathy, and a true understanding of others

The U.S. educational system is complex, but we can streamline critical reform, and the result will be transformative. If we can approach how we instruct our students in a different way—it can be a world of change for them—and may even change the world.

Providing students with the opportunity to know themselves and others, to think creatively and critically, and to see beyond the next state-mandated test, has great possibilities—and can begin with just one Life Discovery course.

Reforming education to take a holistic approach means more opportunity for every child. Moving away from standardized testing and moving toward self-discovery, life skills and real life applications, will bolster our entire society, one bright young future at a time.

Feel free to explore the Life Discovery curriculum and the ERA philosophy. And if you have any questions about ERA or Teaching to the Test of Life™, contact us here. We’re looking forward to hearing your perspective!

References

1. Long, C. (2023). NEAToday: Standardized testing is still failing students.
   https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/standardized-testing-still-failing-students ↩︎
2. Carrillo, S. (2023) NPR: U.S. reading and math scores drop to lowest level in decades.
   https://www.npr.org/2023/06/21/1183445544/u-s-reading-and-math-scores-drop-to-lowest-level-in-decades
   ↩︎
3. Steiner, D. (2024) Thomas B. Fordham Institute: America’s education system is a mess, and it’s students who are paying the price. https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/americas-education-system-mess-and-its-students-who-are-paying-price ↩︎
4. Panorama Education: PR Newswire (2023): New Survey Reveals Americans Think Schools Should Focus on Developing Life Skills to Help Students Catch Up Academically. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-reveals-americans-think-schools-should-focus-on-developing-life-skills-to-help-students-catch-up-academically-302011927.html ↩︎
5. Love, B. L. (2024) EducationWeek: Education Is an Afterthought in This Election. That’s a Problem for All of Us. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/opinion-education-is-an-afterthought-in-this-election-thats-a-problem-for-all-of-us/2024/10 ↩︎
6. Hansen, M. (2021) Harvard Business Review: The U.S. Education System Isn’t Giving Students What Employers Need. https://hbr.org/2021/05/the-u-s-education-system-isnt-giving-students-what-employers-need ↩︎
7. University of Cambridge, UK. Empathy lessons at Kingsmead School, Enfield, UK; Empathy Studios: (2024): One term of empathy training measurably improved classroom behaviour.  https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/one-term-of-empathy-training-measurably-improved-classroom-behaviour ↩︎
8. Beresin, E. M.D., M.A. (2019) Psychology Today: Teaching for the Test, or Reaching for Real Life? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inside-out-outside-in/201808/teaching-for-the-test-or-teaching-for-real-life ↩︎
9. ism.com: (2022): How Standardized Tests are Failing Your Students.
   https://isminc.com/advisory/publications/the-source/how-standardized-tests-are-failing-your-students ↩︎
10. Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2021) Boston University Today: POV: It’s Time to Reimagine School Accountability beyond Standardized Tests. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/beyond-standardized-tests/ ↩︎