Standardized Testing Doesn't Have to Break You (Or Your Students)
how to center curiosity, not fear, during the most distorted time of year
If you’ve been here for a little bit, you know I’ve used this space to process the real frustrations of working in public education. In last week’s post I mentioned that I’m shifting the focus from naming the problems to building what’s missing.
Each issue will still be always be honest, but each biweekly newsletter is built around what I’m calling the PTA model, because if we’re going to change schools, we need Parents, Teachers, and Anyone who cares working together.
You’ll see a familiar rhythm in every newsletter:
• What We’ve Been Told: the myth or mindset we’re challenging
• What We Could Teach Instead: real strategies for educators
• What We Could Ask Instead: advocacy and insight for parents
• What To Do Instead: tools, downloads, and next steps
So, let’s kick things off with one of the biggest seasonal distractions in education:
Standardized testing season, and the lie that it’s what matters most.
What We’ve Been Told
More Tests, More Rigor, More Accountability
It’s exhausting. We’ve built entire school calendars around testing windows, sacrificed weeks of instruction for bubble sheets, and pretended that standardized tests offer real insight into what a child knows. Spoiler: they don’t.
Testing culture didn’t come from teachers. It was built by policymakers in the early 2000s under No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. Lobbyists pushed testing as a measure of school success. Districts scrambled for funding. Companies like the College Board turned assessment into industry.
And the result? A generation of students who think their intelligence is defined by a number, and stressed out teachers being told to not teach to a test, when all signs point to teaching to a test.
Testing season is not the point. Learning is. But we’ve gotten so used to this rhythm of test, prep, repeat that we forgot to ask: who is this really for?
School Night Real Talk
Your Kid Is More Than a Score, Help Them Remember That
It’s hard to ask how school is going when you’re met with a sigh, an “I don’t know,” or the dreaded “nothing.” Most parents feel disconnected from what actually happens in the school day, not because they don’t care, but because life is already a lot. Add your own stress, their exhaustion, and testing season pressure? Conversations about learning can feel impossible.
But this isn’t about grades. It’s about reconnecting with the process of learning, and each other. When your student opens up, try letting them be the teacher. Ask follow-up questions. Get curious, especially about the things you don’t know. Model presence (put your phone down), ask wonderings aloud, and reassure them that learning is messy, and that’s more than okay.
Here are some ways to start that conversation:
Ask better questions: “What part of school made you curious today?” or “Was there anything that surprised you?”
De-escalate the pressure: If your child is spiraling over scores, remind them what they’re good at that doesn’t show up on the scantron.
Talk to teachers: Use this script:
“I’d love to understand how my child is learning, beyond what the tests show. Can you share what you’ve noticed in class?”
You have more power than you think. Your child is watching how you frame this moment, and focusing on the process will ultimately yield more consistent growth.
Teachers, It’s Not All On You
The Data Isn’t the Problem, It’s What We Let It Replace
This is the time of year when teachers are bombarded with data. Test prep scores, benchmark comparisons, student growth trackers - it’s an entire storm of numbers that expect us to create magic solutions overnight.
Here’s the truth: there is no one-size-fits-all fix. There’s no perfect plan that will work for every student or every test. So don’t try to fix everything. You can’t.
Instead, use this moment to connect. Invite students into reflection, but not just about what they got wrong, but what they’ve learned and what still feels confusing. Ask them what helped them feel prepared, and what didn’t.
Those insights? That’s gold for next year’s planning.
Reach out to families, too. Let them know what strategies you’ve used in class, how they can support their child at home, and most importantly, that you see their child as more than a test score.
Here are a few ways to stay grounded while still moving forward:
Let this be the time you double down on feedback: Students won’t remember the practice test. They will remember that you, and they, saw their growth.
Offer one low-stakes check-in a week: Let students write about what they’ve learned in their own words. No grade attached.
When parents ask about test prep? Invite them into the deeper conversation. Share with them the strategies you use in class, and provide them resources to model similar check-ins at home.
They might sigh with relief. You’re not alone in wanting more than test scores. It takes consistent communication and collaboration to remind and support each other of that.
When Parents + Teachers Work Together It Shows
Shared Friction Point: Parents want reassurance. Teachers want room to teach. Both feel the squeeze of the same broken system.
What if we agreed that we can value growth and resist the noise? That starts with shared language, small shifts, and honesty about what this time of year is (and isn’t).
And underneath it all: curiosity. That’s the thing testing season extinguishes first. But it’s also the thing that makes real learning stick.
Here’s the good news: You don’t have to wait for a “bad” score or the new school year to try something different. There is no shame in realizing an approach no longer works, or never really did. Today is a perfectly good day to build a better habit, ask a better question, or pivot toward something more meaningful.
When parents and teachers work together, it shows. Students whose families and teachers stay in regular, supportive communication experience academic gains equivalent to 40% of a letter grade in math and reading (Kraft & Dougherty, 2013).
Testing season will end. Let’s make sure our kids don’t lose their love of learning before it does.
Sharing Is Caring
Actual Resources That Can Be Used Today
📎 Download: Growth Mindset Toolkit. A quick guide with student & family reflection prompts that build long-term learning habits and set the stage for mastery grading.
Understanding Growth Mindset by Understanding Your Brain
Convert Our Mistakes to Mastery
We Can All Benefit From More Sleep
-matt