Teaching to the Test

"Teaching to the test" is a phrase that frosts my ....well nevermind, I don't like the phrase. I suppose by "teaching to the test" most people think it means teachers teach material that will tested on state exams. But teachers don't know what questions are on state exams. They only know what the state standards are. The only way teaching to the test would be helpful is if you had an exact copy of the exam in hand. The point is that curriculum and assessment should be aligned. If that is the case, "teaching to the test" is exactly what you should be doing. If there is a problem, it is more likely with to be with a curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch deep rather than the testing.

When I test my students, I make sure that I have been "teaching to the test", or at least teaching what I plan to test. What am I going to do, test them on material that I haven't taught? What would that accomplish? Moreover, my students are required to pass a state licensing exam and I have only a slight idea what is on that exam. That is a lot of pressure on me (and likely more on the students), but it forces you to teach your subject in a way in which hopefully the students will be capable of thinking their way to the correct answer to a question.