By Stacey Callaway

Scharbauer Elementary School sixth-grade English language arts

I had a hard time figuring out what to write for my column this time. I could again extol the virtues of reading, or I could recount personal experiences with my own child or classroom. Neither seemed right. The last week of April brings the TAKS test, and I must admit, my mind is focused on that for the moment.

Starting in third grade, every public elementary school student in Texas takes the reading and math TAKS tests. Fourth grade brings a writing assessment, and fifth- graders get tested in science. So by the time my students get to me in sixth grade, they're old pros at taking the TAKS.

When I taught third grade, that definitely wasn't the case. I would have to teach my students how to take a test. We would practice reading the passages, going back and searching for the answer, then navigate the answer choices. We practiced every Friday all year long, and by the time test day rolled around during the first week of March, my students and I nervously completed our task.

As an educator, I can't say that I love teaching testing strategies or giving standardized tests. However, I do believe that TAKS has a place in our classrooms. Just a few years ago, I taught in a state where tests such as the TAKS were not given. We took an achievement test each spring, but the accountability wasn't there. An achievement test measures how a student performs in relation to his/her peers in the same subjects. As a result, many questions are above the grade level being tested. You can't really prepare for an achievement test; you either know the material or you don't.

The TAKS Test is a criterion-referenced test, meaning a student is measured by how well he/she has mastered certain skills. The skills tested are given to each teacher in the TEKS, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Each grade level and subject area has a list of TEKS. So in a sense, we know exactly what''s being tested. There's your accountability.

Standardized tests should not be the only way our students are measured. I see students every year who perform beautifully in class, but when that big test rolls around, the nerves set in. Testing anxiety is not uncommon, especially when so much is riding on the results.

As a teacher, my job is to look at the whole picture a student presents. I do take the TAKS into account, but that's just one piece of the puzzle. I find that I learn more about a student by observing him or her all year long. I can tell you what most of my students are reading at any given time, whether or not they enjoy reading or think they have me fooled by the page turning they do. I grade daily assignments, mediate the partner work they participate in, and read countless writing samples all year long. I get to hear their thoughts and views, not just see the answer choices they marked on a testing form.

During the last two weeks, we did a genre study on tests. We discussed the similarities and differences between testing and the authentic reading we do every day. My students and I talked a lot in my classroom about how test writers do not know them. The students can't explain what they "meant" to put, or why one answer choice makes better sense to them than another. The only thing some far-away person will care about is whether or not the correct answer is bubbled in. For some of my students, that's fine. They want a right or wrong answer to mark so that they can continue on to the next question. For others it presents more of a challenge. They like to discuss why an answer is correct, or sometimes why an answer should be correct. They are beyond the test, and the test is sometimes holding them back.

In my dream world of education, I think both types of students should be taken into account. Having criteria by which to measure a group is necessary, but we also need to account for the higher thinkers in the bunch -- the ones who can go beyond the four choices and look for connections that isn't as obvious to everyone.

This week marks the last time I will give the TAKS. Next year I'll administer the STAAR, the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness. So far, we just have bits and pieces about this new test. I do know, however, that my teaching will not change significantly. I will still encourage my students to think outside the box, even if that box is the test we take.