By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist

A few weeks ago, I received an utterly heartbreaking email from one of our teachers. In it, she shared her sincere regret over the performance of her students on the ILEARN assessment. She was devastated by the results and stated, “I want you to know that I am being the best teacher I can be …” And while I won’t betray this teacher’s confidence, it needs to be known that this email is from one of the finest educators I have ever had the opportunity to know.

Why was this email so heartbreaking? The state’s newest high-stakes standardized assessment (ILEARN) results were just released and performance across the state is low.

Because the ramifications of student performance on the ILEARN test matter in teacher evaluation as well as state and federal accountability “letter grades,” the teacher who authored this email was questioning her instructional practices.

When you have a teacher whose classroom is one where students can’t wait to engage, think, collaborate and problem solve, you get out of the way and let that teacher teach.

When you have a teacher who states, “I will do all I can to help these kids become people who love themselves, learning and others,” you get out of the way and let that teacher teach.

When that very same teacher says that she will try to figure out a way to improve test scores, you have to do something.

It’s no secret that there is a method to get great scores on standardized tests. We have known about it for years. Once the test items are released, you incessantly drill students on the same skill/question framework until the students know how to take the test items.

One outcome of this strategy is that students learn how to answer problems that are framed on a standardized assessment. Another outcome is that students aren’t taught how to think, reason or problem solve. These are the skills we know are necessary for success in life.

There is a startling disconnect here.

We can structure our school day so that we get students to perform well on the ILEARN examination. Or, we can continue to transform our educational environment into one where student engagement in relevant pathways for success is the priority.

Jim McFall, teacher of biomedical science at Brown County High School, was just named one of the top 10 teachers in the state of Indiana and is still in the running to achieve the top distinction. It is no surprise that in Mr. McFall’s application, he wrote, “The pressure of high-stakes testing year after year is important to me because I see how students begin to feel that they are failures when they don’t pass the test. … Student growth needs to be measured, but taking the pressure of testing off teachers and students will allow for more authentic growth and greater student confidence.”

Mr. McFall is one of many Brown County educators engaged in this important transformation of instructional pedagogy. Our school district has spent the past three years connecting with regional industry and post-secondary institutions of higher learning to better understand what they need from our high school graduates. Interestingly, we have never been asked to bring up test scores. Conversely, we have been asked to foster strategies with students to develop curiosity, innovation, teamwork and work ethic.

I don’t see anywhere on the ILEARN score reports where these skills are assessed.

I’m all for accountability when it’s aligned to outcomes that matter. Right now, I have deep concerns that the accountability measures currently in place are fundamentally misaligned to outcomes that translate in the modern workforce. Right now, there is an accountability system in place where excellent test taking skills are rewarded.

I am committed to working with our state partners to realize a system that honors the very hard work of educators like Mr. McFall and the teacher who sent me the email about her ILEARN scores.

Until that time comes, this superintendent won’t praise “good” or rebuke “bad” ILEARN scores. You’ll see us focusing our energies on the things that matter while working to change a system that focuses on the things that don’t.

Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].