Re:Study says standardized testing is overwhelming nation’s ...
by acdha on Sunday October 25, 2015 @01:35PM
(#10447577)
You're making a number of bad assumptions:
1. The test actually covers what's important
2. The teacher has the time, resources and support needed to fully convey the material to every student
3. The teacher and the school are receiving students who are realistically capable of reaching the expected level
4. The test results will be interpreted in good faith and used only to help students and teachers perform better
In the U.S. public education system, years of simplistic fixes have largely ensured that none of those are true. Instead there are vicious feedback loops: unprepared students will do worse on tests, which is held against the teachers and school no matter how hard they were trying, which leads the most motivated parents to take their kids elsewhere and the best teachers to leave teaching or find another school or district where their efforts are appreciated. After a few iterations, the district may close the “failing” school and make life even harder for kids who now have the same problems plus a more of their day commuting to a school where they'll probably bear the stigma of having come from a bad school/neighborhood.
1. The test actually covers what's important
2. The teacher has the time, resources and support needed to fully convey the material to every student
3. The teacher and the school are receiving students who are realistically capable of reaching the expected level
4. The test results will be interpreted in good faith and used only to help students and teachers perform better
In the U.S. public education system, years of simplistic fixes have largely ensured that none of those are true. Instead there are vicious feedback loops: unprepared students will do worse on tests, which is held against the teachers and school no matter how hard they were trying, which leads the most motivated parents to take their kids elsewhere and the best teachers to leave teaching or find another school or district where their efforts are appreciated. After a few iterations, the district may close the “failing” school and make life even harder for kids who now have the same problems plus a more of their day commuting to a school where they'll probably bear the stigma of having come from a bad school/neighborhood.