If your school teaches to the test, it’s not the test’s fault. It’s the leaders of your school. - NYT columnist David Brooks
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That assumes the test is appropriately linked to reasonable learning goals, which is by no means a safe assumption.
Posted by: Michael | July 01, 2011 at 10:49 AM
The inconsistency is classic Brooks: testing matters, but it has no influence on BAD choices.
Posted by: Sherman Dorn | July 01, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Paraphrase of Brooks: If people are teaching to the test, the people who push testing and tie testing results to teacher ratings are to blame.
He is right.
This of course implicates Obama, Duncan, Rhee, Gates. Indeed a paper copy of a test has no power to force teachers to do anything. It is the people who sell that paper, who buy that paper, who value that paper that cause the damage. The piece of paper is innocent.
Posted by: WilliamB | July 01, 2011 at 12:14 PM
Michael, I think you're right. I posted above on the other link to the Brooks article, but the test does have to be trained to test correct and reasonable goals. Do you think that national standards take us in the direction of reasonable goals, or are these too one-size-fits-all in terms of working with the individual learning needs of the individual student?
Posted by: Hart | July 03, 2011 at 17:09 PM
Michael, I think you're right. I posted above on the other link to the Brooks article, but the test does have to be trained to test correct and reasonable goals. Do you think that national standards take us in the direction of reasonable goals, or are these too one-size-fits-all in terms of working with the individual learning needs of the individual student?
Posted by: Hart | July 03, 2011 at 17:09 PM