I’ve been in Finland for 3 months now, and I think it’s time to come clean. Thus far, my blogs have been singing the praises of the Finnish education system. And don’t get me wrong. They have a lot going for them: well-trained and respected teachers; equitable funding; excellent facilities with all the latest educational IT gadgets. Their kids are independent, well behaved and trilingual. But here’s the thing. I came here in search of best practices to engage high school students in civic education, and what I’ve found—for the most part—are civics teachers who teach to the test. Let me explain.
Choose any of the dozens of articles and blogs on line that come up in a Google search with the key words “Finnish education miracle” and you’ll probably stumble upon a sentence similar to these: “In Finnish schools, students never take a standardized test.” (Ravitch, 2013) or “Finland is not a fan of standardization in education.” (Sahlberg, 2013). The argument against this practice—which sadly has been embraced in the US—goes something like this: standardized tests are designed to hold teachers and schools accountable, but what they do instead is create a culture in which standards are lowered, curricula is narrowed and the art of teaching pedagogy is replaced with teacher-centered, mechanized instruction. Ergo, because Finland “is not a fan of standardization,” their teachers are free to innovate and collaborate. It is this professional freedom—the pundits argue—along with highly trained teachers (they all have master’s degrees) that explains their students’ phenomenal success on international tests like the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment.) This very argument, in fact, is one reason I believed Finland to be particularly well suited for a comparative analysis of social studies education.
The problem with this line of reasoning is that it’s not true, at least not in the upper secondary schools where I have been spending the majority of my time for the last three months. Before getting to the specifics, you need to understand something about how the Finns do high school.
In Finland all kids are educated together from grades 1-9 (ages 7-15) in what they call comprehensive school or peruskoulu. Most of Finland’s education fame emanates from the impressive results of these kids on the PISA test, which evaluates systems worldwide by testing 15-year-olds in key subjects. You can try some of the questions out here if you’re curious to find out how you’d measure up. At this level, there are no standardized tests and assessment for student progress is done by the classroom teacher, a respected professional who is trusted to accurately assess the academic progress of his or her students. All that changes, however, in the next phase of their education.
At the end of 9th grade, Finnish kids are faced with three choices: attend an upper secondary, college-prep school (for which they have to apply and earn admission based on their grades); attend vocational school to learn a trade or undergo occupational training (to which they also must apply and earn admission); or drop out. According to the Finnish Board of Education “more than 90 per cent of the relevant age group starts general or vocational upper secondary studies immediately after basic education.”
Of that 90%, about 55% of the students opt for the academic track, and these are the kids with whom I have been hanging out. And it is here where Finnish education becomes all about the test. And not just any test. This test, dubbed the national matriculation examination, is a standardized test on steroids.
For starters, it’s not just one test—it is at least four. All students are required to take a test in their mother tongue (Finnish, Swedish or Saami) and then, according to the candidate’s choice, three of the following: the second national language, a foreign language, mathematics or one subject in general studies, such as humanities and natural sciences. One of the tests must be at the advanced level. (Finnish Board of Education). On average, students take five tests, however, there are students who take even ten tests. And the tests are tough.
Unlike the ACT and SAT in the US, these tests are not about filling in bubbles (although some tests do include multiple choice sections) and determining college aptitude, but about demonstrating what you know by responding to essay questions. For example, in the most recent civics exam one of the questions was “Discuss the difference between direct and representative democracy and the strengths and weaknesses in their decision-making methods.” There is so much writing, in fact, that they allow 6 hours for each test. Yes, 6 hours! I was told most students don’t use all the time but some do. Luckily, food is provided to them throughout the day and they are allowed to use the restroom as needed, although they must be accompanied by a teacher proctor. It’s serious business and the stakes are high.
Success on the exams not only determine whether a student will be awarded a high school diploma (and the coveted white cap or ylioppilaslakki), they also serve as a college admission test. Although college is free in Finland, admission to university is competitive. There are many more applicants than spaces in some programs. Teacher education is one of the hardest to get into—only about 10% of students who apply get accepted. So performance on the matriculation exam is important, very important. And here is where the “teach to the test” mentality enters the Finnish model.
At 16 when students begin their high school career, they design their own personal learning path. With the help of a school counselor, they choose the courses from the national curriculum that will best prepare them for success on the national exams and get them into the university of their choice. The teachers, in turn, have a strong sense of responsibility to help them reach their goal. This reality doesn’t leave much room for teachers to veer off from the national curriculum, or to be innovative. There just isn’t time. I’ve asked the social studies teachers I’ve met if they ever discuss controversial issues in the classroom. A typical response is that they do occasionally, but there is a bundle of content to get through in a short amount of time. In most municipalities, the school year is divided into 6 terms which means teachers have about 6 weeks to teach their course and students have final exams 6 times each year. It’s a grueling schedule for both students and teachers.
So, yes, the Finns teach to the test. Their system is rigged that way. But the meaning of that phrase has entirely different meaning in a nation that is serious about leaving no child behind. These tests are not to hold teachers or schools accountable, but to hold students accountable. The tests are meaningful because the students have chosen their learning path and are motivated to do well on them because the results matter. They are also developmentally prepared to deal with them as they are 19 when they finish high school. And there is one other significant difference between these standardized tests and those in the US. The students’ teachers grade them, and they are paid to do so. Although they are also sent to Helsinki for a second look by the national government, the teachers first get the chance to learn how their students have performed—both individually and as a group—and they know what is being tested and how.
Contrast that with the veil of secrecy over tests administered in the U.S. in which students must pledge not to discuss the test with their parents and are literally getting sick under the pressure. One now famous 4th grader in Florida, Sydney Smoot, told her school board just what she thought about standardized tests. In her speech that went viral on Youtube, she wisely points out that “I have the right to talk to my parents about any and everything related to school and my education” and states “the stress and pressure that this testing puts on me and I’m sure most students is not healthy. Why should we have so much stress about one test when we should be learning and having fun in school?” Steven Singer, a teacher and blogger in Pennsylvania, agrees.
And why shouldn’t they talk about it? They just shared a stressful, common experience. Who wouldn’t want to compare it to what others went through so as to decide how your experience rates? Did you answer the questions well or not? Did you get a more difficult question than others? Did the thing that struck you as odd also hit others the same way?
In his blog, “This Article May Be Illegal: Lifting the Veil of Silence on Standardized Testing,” Singer further explains the consequences for teachers for divulging test questions:
According to the “Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Directions for Administration Manuel”: Those individuals who divulge test questions, system in any manner will be subject to professional disciplinary action under the Professional Educator Discipline Act , 24 P.S. $ 2070. 1a et seq, including a private reprimand, a public reprimand, a suspension of their teaching certificate(s), a revocation of their teaching certificate(s), and/or a suspension or prohibition from being employed by a charter school.
So schools and teachers are to be held accountable for how their students perform on these tests, but they are not allowed to talk about them? What kind of twisted logic is that? How do we leave no child behind in a system that disciplines teachers if they speak with their colleagues or students about the very assessment that will determine the quality of and funding for a school, the compensation for the teacher, and the future academic opportunity for the students?
John Oliver perhaps summed it up best on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” when he explained that kids are now literally getting sick over it.
“Official instructions for test administrators specify what to do if a student vomits on his or her test booklet …. Something is wrong with our system when we just assume a certain number of kids will vomit,” he said. “Tests are supposed to be assessments of skills, not a rap battle on 8 Mile Road.”
Touche’.
Once again, it seems, the Finns have schooled us.
Civics is a Verb 