(The Center Square) — In a recent K-12 Study Group meeting held on Tuesday, Louisiana educators expressed growing concerns about the overwhelming amount of standardized testing imposed on students, which they argue contributes to stress for children, teachers, and parents.
The Louisiana Education Assessment Program was grilled by many in the committee as burdensome on teachers and students alike.
“Whenever a parent gets a LEAP score report, all it tells you is what level your child scored. It doesn’t tell you what standards they hit, what standards they missed, there’s not a lot of information being given,” said Jazlyn Thibodeaux, assistant principal at Church Point High School. “Results are also released so late that we cannot focus on growth for the current year.”
Thibodeaux noted that the data generated from LEAP tests often serves teachers rather than providing meaningful insights to parents about their children’s performance. The current system, she says, fails to adequately reflect students’ capabilities.
“One of the problems that we have with LEAP is that the data doesn’t mean anything. Again, LEAP is used to grade teachers. It’s not used to grade students,” Thibodeaux continued.
The committee expressed particular concern with the amount of testing from kindergarten to third grade.
Brad Norris, the president of the Iberia Parish School District, argued that focusing on literacy from an early age is essential. Norris emphasized the need to reevaluate early literacy assessments, specifically the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills tests, suggesting that starting these evaluations early in the school year is likely to misrepresent the students’ capabilities because many will not meet the benchmarks.
Norris suggested removing the first DIBELS test in kindergarten and prioritizing literacy from kindergarten through second grade.
On October 9, Louisiana State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley announced a 20% reduction in student testing time, aiming to alleviate some of the pressure on students in third grade through eighth. The changes, designed to streamline testing procedures, respond to feedback from parents and educators while maintaining test accuracy and reliability.
“A Band-Aid for a bullet wound,” Thibodeaux said of the reduction.
Norris highlighted Louisiana’s current testing requirements — 31 state tests compared to only 17 federally mandated tests — place undue pressure on students, pushing the state towards the bottom of national performance rankings.
Norris emphasized that many kindergarten students enter school without prior exposure to letters or books, often feeling overwhelmed in a new environment.
He suggested that administering DIBELS assessments within the first 30 days can lead to inaccurate results, as many students may struggle.
Norris proposed postponing the initial DIBELS test to mid-year, after students have had time to acclimate and receive some instruction in literacy. This approach, he argued, would provide a more accurate assessment of their abilities.
Kelli Oertling, the principal at Lakewood Elementary, also said testing from kindergarten through second grade should prioritize literacy, highlighting Mississippi as an example.
Oertling noted that similar reforms implemented in Mississippi resulted in significant increases in literacy scores.
