Hall County School Board members learned last week that the number of standardized tests being given to public school students in Georgia dropped last year - and there won't be an increase in the new school year.
Kevin Bales, Hall County's Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, said the number of standardized tests given statewide for the 2016-17 school year was approximately 2.9 million, down one million from the previous year.
"The fact that we no longer test 3rd graders and 4th graders in science and we no longer test 3rd graders and 4th graders in social studies - and the same is true for not testing 6th and 7th graders in science or social studies - is where the number is being reduced drastically," Bales said in an interview with AccessWDUN on Friday.
Bales said he believes reducing the number of days spent on standardized testing is beneficial.
"It boils down to more days to work with students directly on instruction," Bales said. "When you're not having to administer tests to those students on those days, you really get to have excellent classroom time where you have thinking and learning taking place...so, we welcome it. We think it's a step in the right direction."
Bales said while teachers and students appreciate the reduction in standardized assessments, parents seem to appreciate the trend as well.
"I've met very few parents who demanded more assessments," Bales said.
Still, he said parents need not worry that their children are not being evaluated for progress.
"There are assessments that are very beneficial to teachers and a lot of times those assessments are just quick, short assessments of what students are learning on that given day," Bales said. "[They're] almost non-formal and they're definitely not standardized. Again, I haven't had any phone calls...from [parents] complaining about the fact that we're testing just a little bit less than the previous year."
Bales released the 2017-18 testing calendar to the Hall County School Board at a work session on July 17.
He emphasized that while testing - whether standardized, formative or summative - is important, it's just one piece of the puzzle in a student's success.
"In our district we place a tremendous emphasis on getting our kids ready for what's next in life, whether that's a job or whether that's technical college training or whether that's a four-year college experience," Bales said.
Bales noted that he believes the key to testing is balance.
"Some of these assessments - they are necessary - with regard to standardized assessments," Bales said. "It's all about achieving that balance, and while I won't say that we've arrived at that perfect balance across our state and across our district, I would say we're getting closer and closer."
