Thu Sep 04, 2003 7:48 pm
Yeah, don't test. Let it continue to be a surprise when our high school graduates can't work at the 7th grade level.
The tests are appropriate to determine the baseline and progress of the schools and the students. The taxpaying public wants to be able to gauge the effectiveness of the massive expenditures being made for the schools.
The issues of "teaching to the test" are results of poorly designed tests and improper administration of both rewards and punishments based on results. But that doesn't mean baselining and progress measurement shouldn't be done.
Special needs and situations shouldn't be confused with special interests. Special interests can't abide objective and quantifiable examination.
If you were to take this to a photographic analogy, if every time you sent film in for processing the results were sustandard, would you accept excuses? For how long? And if you were a processor, would you not want to examine your processes to see what wasn't succeeding? And then follow up to see if you had actually improved? Because as a supplier, if you can't get your product under control, you will lose your customers.
Testing and tracking is one of the methods you need to get your processes under control.