Teachers will rely on their own communications with and observations of their students far more than quizzes or test scores to determine if they had a successful school year, according to a survey cited in an article in The 74. Standardized tests are the least used measure.
New polling provided exclusively to The 74 by EdChoice, a school choice advocacy group, shows:
- 58% of teachers rank communication with students and 52% list observing their behavior as the most important ways to gauge how well they’ve done in school
- 44% cite grades on tests, quizzes and homework
- 17% use standardized tests
- Parents are more likely (24%) to value standardized test scores as a metric of success
- Student reflections and completed projects are the strongest evidence cited by teachers of well-developed durable skills such as teamwork and adaptability
- About half of teachers believe K-12 education is going well at their local school district
- Only a quarter feel optimistic about it at the national level
- More than two-thirds say they have a hopeful outlook on the profession overall and a sense of purpose when thinking about the future
- More than a quarter feel overwhelmed
- Only 22% would recommend teaching as a career to a friend or family member
- Teachers in private schools are twice as likely (35%) as those in public schools (18%) to recommend the profession
- About a third of teachers report frequent behavioral and technological issues interrupting their class
- Teachers in public schools are much more likely to report their kids spending too much time on devices (48%) than those in private schools (27%)
- Nearly 90% of teachers support the use of online learning platforms, like Google Classroom
- Three-quarters oppose cell phones and just over half oppose AI tools like ChatGPT
- Nearly two-thirds are opposed to letting their students use AI to assist with schoolwork
- More than 40% are extremely or very concerned about the effects of technology on learning this school year.
- Only 38% of teachers support its use in the classroom — an eight-point drop from last fall
- The majority (72%) believe it’s important to help students build the necessary critical thinking skills to appropriately use technology.
“As a researcher, I have a belief … that standardized tests and optimizing for grades is becoming less important now than soft skills, durable skills (and) social-emotional learning,” says Colyn Ritter, an EdChoice research analyst.
The 74
