History education, not testing, is necessary by Rebecca Cusick

If it’s not tested, it’s not taught. That’s the argument of those in favor of reinstating the requirement that students pass a US History MCAS test to graduate from high school. They are correct in their assertion that less history is being taught. But the remedy does not lie in adding more tests. It lies, instead, in putting less emphasis on the other tests.

As an elementary school teacher, I have seen Social Studies take a back seat to Reading and Math in order to better prepare for standardized tests. Since the consequences of low scores are severe, schools will not risk adding untested content.

Studying History allows us to examine the human experience, to better understand how society functions, and determine how the future will be shaped. This insight cannot be adequately measured by a test. History is based on concepts and stories. While facts are important, they do not reflect deeper understandings. Knowing the dates of Civil War battles is not as important as recognizing the causes of the war and its impact on our country. History can, and should, be open for interpretation and discussion.

It has been my experience that people who say they disliked History feel that way because their instruction was based on mundane factual recall. Testing will only reinforce this emphasis, and will result in less interest in the subject. We should be inspiring a passion for History through the debate of ideas and the sharing of human narratives. We should be asking students what they think and why they think it. This will inevitably lead to the indirect learning of the facts considered so important. Rudyard Kipling wrote, “If History were taught in the form of stories it would never be forgotten”.

A couple of years ago, I spent a few weeks in the summer training fifth graders to run a student government. My first lessons involved an overview of the Constitution and American Government. I asked partners to read the Bill of Rights, discuss it, and tell me which one they thought was most important. I will never forget the silence of those hand-picked, honor roll students. I soon realized that these students, so used to choosing the correct answer, were afraid to give me the wrong answer. I explained that there was no wrong answer, as long as they could tell me why they made their choice. This “permission” to form an opinion opened the flood gates of critical thinking, and resulted in deep responses based on personal experience.

I agree that students are not getting a proper History education. Testing is not the answer. Attempting to create formulaic criteria to determine a successful score defeats the purpose of critical thought. How do we measure the consideration of other perspectives? How do we remove the bias of the person scoring the answers?

Americans have long been known for their diversity of opinion and their ability to be innovative in thought and action. Mandating a high-stakes History test will result in a less engaged, less creative citizenry, which in turn puts democracy at risk. As History teaches us; sometimes, in an attempt to reach a goal, we destroy that which we value most.

Rebecca Cusick is a fourth-grade teacher in Fall River.