This article is a couple of weeks old, but it touches on something we should all be concerned about, proposed educational reforms. To see this article, click on:
http://www.thestate.com/education/story/300556.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I think that any move to reconsider the influence of standardized testing on a student's education is a move in the right direction. The fact that they are called accountability tests infers that they are for the evaluation of the teacher rather than the student, which is usually the only thing that might have an opportunity to be measured because often the scores come to late to help the students who take the tests. The new students may have a whole new plethora of issues. Of course to say that a student's education or lack of is the "fault" of a lone educator is also unfair to say the least. Like all systems the failure of one party on either side may bring down the house. This, I suppose, may be where the proverbial, "falling through the cracks" may play a part. There are no easy answers, but at least we know people are trying.
Thanks for the link, Joe.
There's certainly a connection here with NCLB. The fact that SC is considering such significant changes shows (to me, at least) the decrease in the federal power of NCLB, which makes sense given the bill is up for reauthorization by a lame duck president, so little action will take place until next year. Also playing into this is the fact that the PACT is notoriously difficult, which results in SC having lower passing rates than other states with easier tests. Different measures will make SC look better, if nothing else.
I can already see a big problem arising with the "essay" exams proposed by this bill. These will still be "standardized tests", and grading consistency declines with essay questions. Graders will change if not from test to test, probably from year to year. The article doesn't mention what type of feedback is given to teachers and this is very important if the tests are going to be used as "accountability tools". I wonder if this bill looks at this aspect at all.
Post a Comment