"How do we know what they know?" Mediocre educators will dismiss this question or be afraid to ask it. Serious teachers want to know the answer. Sunday School is a huge waste of time, effort and money if we can't quantify some of the results of our teaching.

If students don't know the Bible story after we have taught them the story, then we haven't taught them well, and need to change our ways. To be objective about it, we have to test what they know. Those who lack confidence in their program or teaching ability will come up with reasons we shouldn't test our Sunday School kids.

• What knowledge or core areas should we test for?
• How should we test?
• How often?
• How should the test results be handled?
• Who is the test really for?

Before going any further, let me make myself clear: I'm not proposing 'grading our students,' 'pencils down' or 'making them sweat.' My definition of 'testing' is this: some form of  periodic quantifiable FEEDBACK about what they know and don't know about the content we've taught them.

Bible literacy is one of the reasons I'm concerned about the quality of our teaching and "what our kids know." Bible illiteracy is a terrible problem that undermines each generation's ability to share the Good News. A lack of Bible literacy works against faith maturation. When a generation doesn't know what's in the Bible, the Bible become irrelevant. There is a connection with knowing and believing. I could write more about these truths, but they are self-evident.

According to a Gallup poll, only three out of five Christians can recall the names of the first four books of the New Testament! Only half of the Christians polled correctly identified the person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. And a full 42% of the Christians said that without the government's laws, there would be no real guidelines for people to follow in daily life.

And yet.... according to the Search Institute's National Study on Christian Education (1992), Bible literacy is an excellent indicator of future faith maturation. The last 40 years of Bible education have produced huge numbers of Christians who do NOT know their Bible and don't go to church. A strange coincidence? By gathering and acting on quantifiable feedback, we not only improve our teaching, but bolster a case for serious change in Christian Education.

"Bible Literacy" should be a key measuring stick for every Sunday School. If it isn't, you're putting your kids' faith and future of the Church at risk. To be blunt: anyone who resists making Bible literacy a goal in Sunday School needs to find another job or volunteer position to be mediocre at. Let's take Christian education seriously and we might just get some serious* Christians!

(*"serious" in the way my generation means it, as in "not ridiculous")

The Model for Sunday School which I have been involved with, The Workshop Rotation Model, embraces two important goals: Bible literacy and happy campers. When done well, it works. One of the reasons we know it works is because some of us have actually 'tested' our kids with computer software over the years to see what they know, and what we need to go back over. And the kids think computer testing is fun. In fact, I've tested one of my classes just recently using software. They thought it was a lot of fun. And it has given me insight into the part of the story I need to do more work on! (And now you know how I got into integrating computers into C.E. ...they gave us a happy tool not only to attract and teach, but to test.)

The concept of testing is also biblical. Look no further than Adam and Eve and Abraham. God seems to like testing so it must have some value. And let's not wrap opposition to testing in some vague theological boogey-man. Done right, testing won't make our kids fear God and smell brimstone.

Testing isn't about Biblical fundamentalism, its about educational fundamentals.

First, let's identify what we ARE ABLE TO TEST or quantify:

• Attendance in Sunday School as a proportion of enrollment.
• Core Bible knowledge every regular attending third and sixth grader.

Second, are the things which are important to gauge but more difficult to do so:

• Maturation of faith.
• Positive feelings toward the church community and learning.

Caveats: Unlike the public schools, we do not have compulsory attendance. Children's attendance patterns usually reflect that of their parents. Thus, a lousy preacher, poor adult education, and.or congregational upheaval can have devastating effects on attendance and attitude. And let's not forget that success in or lack of Sunday School is not necessarily a determinant in one's faith journey. Growing up, I  intensely disliked my Sunday School and rarely went, ...and look where it got me. What we're talking about here is GENERALITIES. "Do the kids who come REMEMBER what we are teaching them?"  IF not, then they are little better than the kids who don't come. Warm fuzzy feelings about the church don't make for faith and spiritual maturation. If all we really want out of Sunday School is warm fuzzies, cable tv and donuts would be a lot cheaper program.

Testing for Core Bible Knowledge

Stating the obvious:

• We cannot know what to teach or for how long to teach it unless we measure what they know and how well they know it.
• You can't learn from stories you don't remember. All theories of learning acknowledge the necessity of teaching basic content in order to understand and apply the content to one's life.
• In Christian education, testing students is primarily a means of assessing our program, models and methods, not so much the students! Not testing them is the equivalent of driving with our eyes closed with the kids in the backseat.

Defining what is 'Core Bible Knowledge' is open for debate. Here's what I think Core Bible Knowledge should be. Of course, your list might be different. The first step of establishing what your church's idea of Core Bible Knowledge will be a good values clarification exercise and hopefully stimulate ownership and improvement in your program.

Neil's Core Bible Knowledge List:
(some of the stuff I think every Sunday School kids should know)

By the third grade:

All regular attenders (twice a month or more) should be able to:

• Tell in simple but understandable fashion the basic story of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection.
• Tell in simple but understandable fashion the basic stories of Creation and the Exodus.
• Be able to simply define the words Grace, Sin, Forgiveness, Holy, Prayer, Worship, Confession, Stewardship.
• Tell in simple but understandable fashion the parables of The Prodigal Son and The Good Samaritan.
• Tell in simple but understandable fashion at least one other New Testament story of their choice, and one from the Old Testament of their choice.
• Be able to recite the Lord's Prayer and find Psalm 23.
• Be able to name the first two books of the Old Testament and find them quickly, and additionally name three other OT books.
• Be able to name the first four books of the New Testament and find them, and additionally name at least one other NT book.
• Be able to sing at least one Bible song or short hymn/worship song of their choice.

Of course, you may teach them quite a bit else. But for argument's sake, let's say that if they aren't proficient in any of the above, then that 'quite a bit else' got in the way of teaching the basics! To put it another way, "If your third graders don't know the story of Jesus' death and resurrection, what else is more important to teach?"  I hope my list gives you a place to start your discussion.

By the sixth grade your regular attenders should:

• Know everything on the third grade list but with more sophisticated understanding.
• Be able to sequence the Exodus story and discuss the concept of Law and the Ten Commandments.
• Know what a prophet is and what a prophet does. And be able to tell you the names of two prophets and at least one story about a prophet.
• Know the basic geneaology and stories of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Joseph, Saul & David.
• Know at least two Jesus miracle stories and what those stories mean. I prefer they know the story of the man let down through the roof and the feeding of the 5000.
• Know at least two additional stories from the life of Jesus, preferably the Wise Steward and Jesus' teaching on forgiveness.
• Know at least two Beatitudes and know where to find them.
• Know who Paul was and what he did to spread the Christian message.
• Relate at least one story from the life of Paul, preferably his conversion on the Road to Damascus.
• Know the names and locations of three of Paul's letters.
• Be able to correctly locate and paraphrase, if not memorize, the 23rd Psalm.
• Know what a proverb is and where to find the Book of Proverbs.

Of course, there are be several things you may want to add to this list. And remember that this is a Core BIBLE Knowledge list. It doesn't include Worship, service or church heritage. I would, however, caution you about adding too many things, or trying to cover so much ground that you 'uncover' very little along the way. Let the principle of "Less can be More and More can be Less' guide you.

Testing for Core Bible Knowledge

I can think of no better way than to create a REAL actual test. Some people will cringe at this thought. What are they afraid of? The results? Please. Ok...some kids (and adults) don't like to be tested. And some parents may misunderstand WHY we're testing their kid. But these are easy problems to solve. If done in the right manner, testing in Sunday School doesn't have to even feel or look like testing.

My tests often consist of computer software tests and 'gameshows.' My methods may not receive State Board of Education certification, but they suffice for me and are a REALITY CHECK against what I THINK they know (or don't know).

And we're not talking about testing after every unit.

The first test I propose is a Basic Lesson Memory Assessment given to the entire Sunday School. This may only need to be done once. It's a snapshot of where you've been the last few years and what you might need to revisit.

The second kind of testing I propose is a "refresher quiz" taken once a quarter.

The Basic Lesson Memory Assessment test seems most appropriate when a CE Committee is considering a major change, such as going to the Rotation Model, or is taking seriously the issue of Bible literacy. A 30 question quiz could be given on paper to all 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. These questions could be as simple as asking which stories were taught in the last two years and write a two sentence summary of each. Since we're not testing to grade them, the test doesn't have to be scientific or all encompassing. We simply want to find out if and what they remember from their lessons. The results are for US as much as for them (and they will be interested in how well they did).

The Refresher Quiz idea comes from a long standing practice in my own Sunday School. We first wanted to see if they remembered the last quarter's lessons so we would know what to go back and cover again. Once we quizzed them about a unit we had studied on the Trinity only to find that the kids really didn't grasp the concept of Holy Spirit. So we later taught a special unit on the Holy Spirit.

We also understood that quizzing promoted our student's long-term recall of materials. From time to time I would have students take the same quiz a year later. They liked trying to recall lessons and it gave me a chance to talk with them about some of those long ago important things.

Computer tests can be taken individually and the results shared with the student and their parents. If it is determined that many students don't know something previously taught, the subject would be brought up again at a later date.

While you're at it.....have a little fun administering the test to the congregation or an adult class on the same Sunday you are testing the kids. Ask the pastor to preach on the subject. By casting the process in the most positive way, you may improve results and support. You will definitely learn a lot too.

Update: In the category of "be careful what you write about" -since writing this article I put my money where my mouth is. My company developed a Bible knowledge game called "Bongo Love the Bible." It has a four level "jungle game" with a total of 80 Bible questions for elementary and youth. I wrote it with the idea that every 8th grader should know the answers to all 80 questions. It stars Bongo the orangutan who slingshots bananas at surf mummies while looking for questions. Who said testing had to be dull! Learn more about it at www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo. If anyone else develops such a program, I'll gladly list it here!

Using Your Test Results:

Parents and students should see the test results. This will have a positive effect on both. It will also signal to parents that their peers believe Sunday School is important. This alone may improve attendance and knowledge. Most of us live in places where people respect testing and see it as a worthwhile process. It will signal to the entire congregation that your CE Committee and program isn't full of fluffer-nutter.

The Committee should take the overall (and anonymous) test results as another piece of information they need to do their ministry better. If certain knowledge objectives were not met, they need to be revisited. Indeed, I can't imagine any results that should leave you resting on your laurels. If everybody scores well, raise the expectations.

Responding to your test results:

Make a list of the subjects they don't know so well, and RE-TEACH those subjects in a variety of ways and venues. Children's sermons, for example, are excellent places to go back over content. So are Confirmation classes.

Some stories and concepts need to be taught more often, especially those they don't quite grasp. Yet traditional curriculum barely gives one week to some stories such as the Prodigal Son. This is why I love the Rotation Model for Sunday School.... it spends WEEKS at a time on KEY stories, instead of speeding over them. Point: If they don't know the story of the Exodus, you have no business teaching them about the judges or prophets.

Look at your lesson plans. Are they scattered and too broad? Or do they promote retention?  Are teachers recapping previously taught lessons each week? (they should be).

Engage parents to recap lessons with their kids on the way home from church.

Get the pastor to mention in worship the lessons being taught.

Have adult ed classes cover some of the same material that kids are covering.

Testing for:

• Maturation of faith.
• Positive feelings toward the church community and learning.

What a wonderful discussion THIS kind of testing will provoke! How does one test for the 'marks of a disciple' (First Corinithians 12 and 13 '...a more excellent way'). Some may say it is impossible or rude. The Bible doesn't think so. The Bible calls it 'DISCIPLING,' and 'DISCERNMENT.'

Many congregation's don't hesitate to apply a test in the Nominating Committee process. Why not for Sunday School and the rest of Christian education? God has always put a standard before us. Indeed, the Bible refers to the Law as a tutor. Mentoring young people requires personal assessment from a prepared and loving mentor. By measuring oneself from time to time, we see how much we have grown and where we need to grow toward. And spiritual growth is what we're after, right? (If it's not, please drop this article now and volunteer somewhere else in the church.)

Self-evaluation... With the help of a mentor (pastor, teacher, elder, parent) students should evaluate their own sense of faith maturation. Self-evaluation can take the form of activities, such as, writing assignments (statements of faith, etc.), creating maps of their spiritual journey, and simple "circle the statement that most closely reflects your feelings/beliefs." Many churches wait to pursue this process at Confirmation. If it is good for Confirmands, why isn't it good for younger kids whom we hope to see even more prepared come their own Confirmation?

Remember that spiritual maturation, while informed by Bible Knowledge, is more in the direction of their feelings of connectedness, to God, to their church, and to their parents. Spiritual maturation includes spiritual practices and goals. Most of us believe that it is through prayer, reading scripture and engaging in service to others that we spiritually mature. Research points also to the profound influence parents and significant adults have on spiritual maturation.

Following periodic self-assessment, students should discuss their results with a caring adult. A parent, teacher, pastor or caring adult should be given some instruction on how to respond to the students and encourage them forward. Goals should be set by the student. These might take the form of a letter written to themselves and then mailed a year later to them to see how well they have done. It should be clearly stated that periodic self-assessment is to be an encouraging process, not a judgemental one.

Students should also be asked for suggestions to improve their church experience and at-home spiritual formation. These can be discussed with the entire student body and congregation.

The entire congregation might go through similar process as a show of support to the kids (and opportunity for their own reflection). Incorporate the idea a spiritual evaluation into a special worship service to embrace and promote the whole process.

Attendance should also be measured... It seems rather obvious that they have to be there to know what you taught them. There have been MANY studies that show a strong connection between regular church attendance and spiritual growth. There are many other benefits to regular church attendance borne out in these studies. For a complete article with research quoted, visit www.sundaysoftware.com/stats.htm

In conclusion:

The blind cannot lead those whose eyes need to see. The first decision is to risk self-examination. The second decision is to risk evaluation of our methods and models by asking our kids some simple questions, such as, "What do you remember about the story we taught you last month?"

<>< Neil MacQueen

Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister with over 23 years experience in Christian education. He is one of the founders of the Workshop Rotation Model movement (www.rotation.org) to revitalize Sunday School. Neil has led many CE workshops around the country and a variety of denominations have published Neil's articles on C.E. He is also the author of two books on CE subjects. Neil is currently the President of Sunday School Software Ministries (www.sundaysoftware.com).

Copyright 2000.-2003 Neil MacQueen. This article may be reprinted or excerpted in its entirety without permission provided the author's name, copyright info, and web address are included.