More than a Number

State testing. Ugh. I still shiver at the thought, sight, and sound of those words put together. If I were still in the Principal role, I would be sitting up all night playing out scenarios in my head due to the verbose expectations and rules surrounding the containers of booklets, pencils, and scan sheets occupying far too much of my locked office.

I really do not want to belabor something that already causes so much angst in the world of education. As a teacher and leader, I (somewhat) understood the purpose as a means to look at growth, create new goals as a building, and celebrate successes. For everything else though? It felt like much ado about nothing.

We were in tune with other data that we felt painted a more accurate picture of the growth our students achieved. We created goals together because we had a real feel for what we needed to be motivated in the art of becoming better. And trust me, we knew how to celebrate each others’ successes.

So let me jump to the purpose here. Over the next two weeks, there will be classroom doors closed with students filling out bubbles of long tests. Teachers will comply with the excessively long list of rules set out by their respective states. The tests will come and go before we can blink. We will wait a few months for the numbers that come attached to our students, teachers, and buildings.

Some people would argue that these are great for accountability and measuring where our students and schools are at the end of the year. Cool. In some ways, you might be right. The test might measure what a child learns about a passage of which they might have no prior knowledge. Seems fair. It might even measure how much a student with test anxiety “knows about math” in some way. Awesome. What about those struggling with mental health? What about those worried about the next meal? Just to reiterate, I am not anti-data. I know far too many people who would disown me if I were. I am anti-high stakes testing data.

But at the end of the day, the number does not represent any of the stakeholders to which it makes its claim. Why? Because the test does not measure everything. The students, teachers, staff, and culture are not defined by a single number. There are way too many immeasurable components to what makes a school special. A test can’t measure…

The creativity that has poured into every piece of artwork that is busy filling the hallways with excitement before finding its permanent home on the refrigerator in the summer.

The daily grind of showing up to school despite what happened the night before and caring for every single student who walks through your doors.

The generosity of the little boy who shares his lunch with his friend who forgot her own at home this morning.

The determination it took for Jimmy to finally nail all of his letter sounds in March…and the celebrations that can be heard down the hallway from the adults who were with him when he did it.

The smiles illuminating every room with the brightness of the sun.

The kindness felt in the “Good Morning” to every student. It is the easiest thing you can do after all.

The imagination that fills the playground from Monday through Friday.

The courage students develop every day by sharing something about themselves during the brave space known as Morning Meeting.

The ability of a student to play the musical instrument, draw the picture, dribble the ball, or code the website after months of struggling with the confidence to even pick up those things.

The compassion shown by a group of students after their friend falls down during a fierce game of kickball at recess.

The leadership that you have watched develop in your fifth grade students who were honestly just kindergartners yesterday…seriously!

The laughter that gives life on the mundane days.

The friendships that the staff helped to foster (and repair) throughout the year.

The energy that radiates like the music at an outdoor summer concert series.

The love that pours from the hearts of those same people the test claims to define, while filling the hearts of those around them.

The understanding that every person, big or little, who walks in the building matters in each room they enter.

I am not here to convince you that the test holds zero relevance. I used to tell students that there was value in showing all the amazing growth that they had made, and I do believe that. I know there is more to determining the worth of a school, and all the people who pour their hearts into it, than a snapshot test score.

What I am trying to convince you of is that the number can only tell a small part of each person’s story. The chapter they are writing this year is much larger than the number that comes from these tests. There are 180 days of smiles, tears, struggles, laughter, overcoming, believing, growing, good vibes, love, and becoming the next version of your best self.

So tomorrow when you walk into your school, please know that the test will not measure everything you have done this year. Take a deep breath, support one another, support your students, and smile…then measure all the smiles you get back.