Testing takes on important funding role

P Schools must meet annual score improvement goals set by the state or face a loss of funding and local control. As a result, some students are being offered rewards for better performance.

A federal law that ties test scores to school funding has made the Missouri Assessment Program test, which will be administered in area schools in the coming weeks, more important than ever.

Student scores on the test, first administered in 1998, have always been a factor in whether schools were accredited. But with the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, schools face even more consequences if they fail to meet new guidelines.

The law requires that every school in the nation must have all students scoring in the top two levels of MAP -- proficient and advanced -- by 2014.

But they can't just pull things together in 2013. Along the way, schools must meet annual score improvement goals set by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or risk being labeled a failing school, which could mean a loss of funding and local control. Administrators could be removed.

All the while, test results have little conequence for students. Doing well for the sake of doing well isn't part of the new philosophy. MAP performance isn't tied to grades, advancement, graduation or college admission, so there isn't much reason for them to excel. The tests take long, tedious days to complete.

This testing conundrum is causing educators to do what they can to get students interested in high performance on the test.

At Scott City Middle School, that means buying free burgers and other treats for kids who show up to tutoring sessions.

At Central High School in Cape Girardeau, the rewards are a little less immediate but more valuable: Students who score high on the tests can receive tuition reimbursement for dual enrollment courses at Southeast Missouri State University or reimbursement for advanced placement testing fees.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with rewarding students for high achievement. Our entire society is based on the concept.

But students ultimately need to learn the information behind the test. Their parents need to provide positive messages about high performance in all endeavors.

The No Child Left Behind Act is in its infancy and should be given time to work as a measure of accountability in public schools.

But if learning becomes a numbers game based purely on test scores and carrot-and-stick philosophies, there may come a time to reassess the system.