January 3, 2017
Dear Oakwood Families and Friends,
Welcome back! I hope your holidays/vacations were splendid and that each of our students is refreshed for the spring semester as it promises to be highly productive, continuing to build on the robust learning experiences offered during the fall semester.
I recognize that an Oakwood education is a deliberate choice and that every parent carefully considered Oakwood's curriculum, environment, faculty, extra-curricular offerings, facilities, and mission when determining that our school is the best fit for your child and family. In coming to Oakwood, you also chose for your child to receive an education that goes far beyond the standards and methods set by government officials. The purpose of my weekly letters is to keep you informed about Oakwood overall and more specifically, to validate this most important decision and share how Oakwood's outstanding academic program goes far beyond conventional standards. I plan to talk about this more directly in my next few letters, focusing today on the standardized testing that Oakwood students take: Educational Record Bureau achievement tests (ERB),
Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), PSAT, SAT and ACT.
During the month of January, our students in grades 3-7 will participate in a battery of ERB achievement tests
, our preferred testing vehicle for institutional comparison. Oakwood's ERB results are compared to a more stringent peer group than standardized tests given at other area public and independent schools, looking nationally at over 1000 independent schools and 1000+ suburban public schools that are known to be stronger performers. Other standardized tests used by area independent schools such as the Iowa, Stanford, or CTBS are only compared to national public school benchmark standards. The ERB tests align more closely in style and results to the SAT tests and are created by the same company.
The ERB sub-tests include Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary or Auditory Comprehension, Writing Mechanics, Writing Concepts and Skills, and Math or Algebra. Students in grades 3-7 will take two tests each morning for approximately an hour and a half. Oakwood, like many independent schools, administers the ERB each year for the following reasons:
- To familiarize students with standardized testing.
- To help assess the academic strengths and needs of each student.
- To assess whether the academic curriculum at Oakwood is preparing students for the next challenge in school...next grade level, next division, college, and beyond.
Oakwood's standardized testing philosophy differs significantly from that of the public schools. After Congress passed the "No Child Left Behind" legislation in the late 1980s, curricula for public school teachers were written to prepare students for state run end-of-grade (EOG) tests, and teachers have adjusted their programs accordingly. Individual schools, districts, and states are judged and rated on the annual test scores. There is tremendous pressure on teachers to prepare their students for these standardized tests, and each day they spend substantial time prepping them to write formulaic compositions, compute particular sets of arithmetic problems, and read to answer certain types of questions. Many public school teachers complain that their ability to teach their students beyond basic systematic approaches to learning is compromised and that they sorely miss the opportunity to explore more creative and problem-solving skills development. Many parents and teachers feel that this kind of testing promotes anxiety in children and diminishes their joy of discovery.
The Oakwood School, along with most independent schools, takes a very different approach toward standardized testing. One of the most important realities is that our teachers do not teach to the tests. Instead, Oakwood teachers are expected to craft meaningful, creative, and developmentally appropriate programs of study that authentically develop skills for the 21st century: critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and teamwork, effective oral and written communication, adaptability and initiative, analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination. A second reality is that we recognize that standardized testing offers only a snapshot of a child's achievement level in a particular skill on a particular day. Because of this reality, we do not use standardized tests to judge students for placement or to make blanket decisions regarding a child's strengths or needs. Tests given during any one cycle offer valuable information regarding skill achievement only when added to day-to-day teacher observations. When assessing scores gathered over several years a picture of a child's test-taking skills and achievement levels in certain school skills begins to take shape, and this can help guide discussions about individual students and ways to increase their success in these areas. We also realize that many skills such as collaboration, adaptability, and teamwork are not measured on achievement tests and that these skills are as important as any that are tested.
Our teachers' primary goal is to develop in each student a love of learning, a competent approach to accomplish this, and strategies to allow each child to grow and thrive. From the youngest grade levels through the senior year, teachers follow a carefully sequenced curriculum integrating their own lessons that are filled with enriching discussions, projects, activities, labs, presentations, and practice opportunities. We are confident that our students are well prepared for the ERBs through these day-to-day exercises and activities they undertake, and the test scores prove it. As you read in the recent "Oakwood Story" sent to all the parents in December:
- Oakwood scored over the 80th percentile in every ERB category and has done so every year since we started giving the test ten years ago.
- Oakwood outscored major suburban public schools 80% of the time and were on par with them 18% of the time.
- Oakwood outscored other independent schools in every category 48% of the time and were on par with them 52% of the time.
These comparisons are excellent indicators of the quality of our program, faculty, and students as measured against some of the strongest students and schools in the country.
Another important aspect of Oakwood's testing philosophy involves the time of year that the ERBs are administered. Rather than administering batteries of assessment tests in the fall and/or spring, which is the norm in public schools, Oakwood administers its tests the 2nd week after our December break. Independent schools are allowed to set their own testing schedules and at Oakwood, we have determined that January is the best time for the following reasons:
- A January testing date has the quickest return of scores when compared to any other date in the calendar. The results from the tests are received online within a month's time of the tests receipt at ERB. As a result, teachers and administrators are able to use the test results, when appropriate, to develop short term as well as long-range educational plans for students and for curriculum development.
- Attendance at this time period is surprisingly high because students are returning from a two-week vacation healthy, well rested, and free of the germs that oftentimes spread within a school community. Oakwood rarely needs to extend the make-up period beyond a few days and therefore can send in the completed tests for scoring before February 1st.
- Administrators are unable to use testing scores as a vehicle for faculty evaluation with tests being administered at this time period in keeping with our philosophy of not teaching to the tests. Rather, administrators and department chairs use the information to formulate goals and plans for the coming year that will inevitably strengthen the program of study at Oakwood as a whole.
- Test results are shared with families during the early spring creating time for parents to meet with teachers to develop new educational strategies for a child when testing results support day-to-day observations that suggest a new action plan is needed to better position a child for success. Testing done at the end of the school year does not allow for this opportunity.
This week of ERB testing starting January 9, 2017, is important. The information we glean over time from our testing results allows us to garner a deeper understanding of the learning styles and achievements of each Oakwood student, to assess the strength of our school, and to give each child the chance to develop skills in standardized testing, a valuable experience going into the college planning and preparation phase in the Upper School.
In January, we also administer the Otis-Lennon School Ability test to
3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th graders. The OLSAT is a multiple choice test that measures student abstract thinking and reasoning abilities. The results from this test help give us a grade-level benchmark as compared to students nationally, sheds light on individual student profiles, and guides our practices for teaching and learning. Once again, our students and school do exceptionally well.
Based on the OLSAT testing that uses the national mean rating of 100, The Oakwood School student OLSAT test average is and has been consistently over the 85th percentile typically in the 115 to 121 range since we started giving the test in 2009.
Oakwood administers the PSAT 8/9 also in January on campus to our 8th and 9th graders instead of the ERB's. We administer the PSAT instead of the ERB battery to these students
because it reduces missed class time and prepares them for the PSAT in the 10th and 11th grades, which is taken on campus in the fall. The SAT and/or the ACT tests are typically taken by 11th and 12th graders, and these tests are taken at area testing sites and are administered monthly.
I am thrilled to share that our eight graduating classes have consistently shown outstanding results in SAT test scores.
As you read in the recent "Oakwood Story" sent to all the parents in December, Oakwood's Class of 2016 scored significantly higher than
area public and independent schools, as well as nationally against NAIS-member schools. In fact, the only school in our comparison group that scored higher than Oakwood was the NC School of Math and Science. The 29 graduates in the Class of 2016 were particularly unique in that most of them had attended Oakwood since Kindergarten. The entire Oakwood experience has proven to be a most valuable investment for our families as we have heard time and time again from alumni.
While only one measure of many that show that an Oakwood education is superior, standardized testing is an important tool in our arsenal of methods to review and assess our program. It is vital to remember, however, that it is just that -- a tool. The best measure is, of course, the day-to-day observation of the active teaching, the diligent planning, the
conscientious
oversight, and the significant care and compassion from all of our faculty and staff in concert with the hardworking, talented, and engaged students and their deeply committed parents. These elements and their ongoing partnership ensure student success at Oakwood and beyond. Should you wish to share your thoughts regarding these tests, our philosophy about their administration, or our assessment and use of the results, please call Christine Barker and ask to set up an appointment to meet with me. My door is always open.
