Myth: When schools focus on data and test scores, by necessity
they have to become “drill-and-kill” test-prep machines that cut
out art and drama and kill students’ creativity

This is a powerful myth, and the sad part is that some educators know so little about school improvement that they may in fact be enacting that formula. Cutting out music and art to drill math facts may get schools a short-term bump in scores, but not the kind of improvement their students need. To do that, educators need to think about how to improve instruction at every level. Here’s a story about the development of the data system used by Fairfax County, Virginia, that gives a powerful example of how the use of data and test scores can lead to better – and more creative – instruction.

           When Oak View Elementary School Principal Debbie Lane discovered her fourth-graders were struggling to pass a state-mandated exam on social studies skills, she didn't panic; instead, she turned to her computer, and the district's data warehouse, for answers.
            The results were encouraging. Though students in Oak View were struggling, their counterparts in other schools across the district actually were performing well on the test, many even exceeding expectations, results showed.
            "We looked around at the other schools in our neighborhood ... and said, ‘OK, these two schools did fantastic,’ so we went and met with the teams over at these other schools,” Lane said. “What we found out was that they were using plays, songs, [and] working with art on specific objectives featured on the history test.”
            After observing these and other teaching methods, Lane and her team returned to Oak View, where they put what they'd learned into practice.
            “The next year, we scored 97 percent on the same test,” she said, “which is unbelievable.”

-- Corey Murray, eSchoolNewsonline, January 20, 2006

           Note that the way to improved test scores was by using plays, songs and art – not by presenting kids with another worksheet to memorize.
            In the past year The Achievement Alliance has visited and profiled schools in which almost all students meet state standards or are rapidly moving toward that goal, and we have not found that these schools have adopted drill-and-kill test prep at the expense of the arts and creativity. On the contrary, the more successful the schools the more creative they seem to be. The following schools have helped enable just about every one of their students to reach or exceed state standards:

• Lincoln Elementary in Mount Vernon, New York, not only has a vibrant music and art program, with band music and art work filling the hallways, it makes sure every child knows how to play chess.
• Centennial Place Elementary in Atlanta, Georgia, teaches almost entirely through theme-based projects, developed by the teachers, that often incorporate art and music. Worksheets are almost unknown.
• At University Park Campus School in Worcester, Massachusetts, middle and high school students organize poetry slams and dramatic presentations as regular parts of their school life.
  The picture shows University Park students testing pond water as part of their science curriculum.
• At Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School, all students are encouraged to be part of the rich after-school life of the school, with clubs, sports, theater, band, and other activities.

These and other schools demonstrate that art, music, drama and creativity continue to be part of a good education, and that passing a reading or math test does not mean giving up playing an instrument or acting in plays.

To read in-depth stories about those and other schools, click on the above links or go to www.achievementalliance.org and look under “Success Stories.”