Reply #101: Okay. [View All]

[LWolf]

I think I'm understanding you better. I just don't agree. There is nothing in any of the articles I've found that suggests that they use tests to judge the effectiveness of teachers, for example. The use of data to determine what's working is a common working tool for teachers; we use it to adjust what we're doing in the classroom as necessary. It's a flexible thing. What works for one student, or one group of students, doesn't necessarily work for another. That's how we determine what works best for the specific students we're serving NOW. It's not about judging teachers. It's about diagnosing need, prescribing, and documenting the effects, adjusting as necessary.

Perhaps you need to have actually been part of that process to understand it?

High and low stakes...not arbitrary at all. For decades our students in the U.S. took standardized tests; in some states, once in elementary, once in middle, once in hs; in some, once a year. Those were low stakes. They were used as a small part of the overall picture of student progress. The scores were norm-referenced and used to give parents an idea of how their child compared to the group the test was normed on.

Those tests did not set policy, drive instruction, or threaten teachers' pay or jobs, or students' schedules or graduation from hs.

I probably don't see college entrance exams as "high stakes" because I don't think everyone wants to, or should, go to college, so the stakes aren't as high. I DO think everyone should graduate from high school, and I DO think that there should be trade schools outside of the military for those who don't want to attend college.

We do agree on the misuse of tests. That misuse actually makes the overall system worse, not better. If you want to see the system improve everywhere in the country, we're going to have to have a conversation about state rights vs federal. I support one national teaching license that is equally valid in every state. I support a broad national curriculum with room for flexibility. I'd love to see every school in the nation be given the support they needed to thrive, both with dollars and policy. Outside of that, I'd rather leave the specifics to local schools and districts. In the hands of the experts.