tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post5240130059031371320..comments2023-04-24T23:09:57.655-04:00Comments on All Things Education: Standardization & Test-Based Accountability Makes Kids Hate SchoolUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-48175656912090172542011-05-11T19:05:18.945-04:002011-05-11T19:05:18.945-04:00I have actually thought the same thing about MY...I have actually thought the same thing about MY's writing, but then again good writing is often in the eye of the reader. I've heard the same thing about him on urban planning.<br /><br />I suppose part of the problem is that we're in the era of the all-purpose pundit columnist/ blogger, where there's pressure to produce lots of opinions on a wide variety of topics, but very little in the way of expertise or research or even humility.<br /><br />In any case, thanks so much, robo, for the comment & encouragement.Rachel Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06844728669493681943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-53287575146177438512011-05-11T16:11:05.595-04:002011-05-11T16:11:05.595-04:00Just an aside. Not everyone "loves" Matt...Just an aside. Not everyone "loves" Matt Y. He was a staunch supporter of the runup to the Iraq invasion. He is very slippery about being pinned down on opinions. And his writing is often pretty awful. Like many of his young counterparts on the right, he seems to know how to put words together that please his elders, and I envision him eagerly awaiting the pat on the head as reward.<br /><br />That said, he is great on urban/land use/transportation policy. Nothing is cut and dried, eh?<br /><br />Just found your blog via ED and it looks like a place I will enjoy. Keep up the hard work.robonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-79635001610153349762011-04-24T11:04:54.372-04:002011-04-24T11:04:54.372-04:00The idea that increasing the number of standardize...The idea that increasing the number of standardized tests makes it OK because how can 25 (or 52 in a district in NC) tests be considered high stakes since instead of one there are many more defies logic. Testing that counts beyond use in the classroom is high stakes, period. Keep writing. We need to say this loud and clear, over and over again.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11994116033556993440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-48676729297676777532011-04-18T15:28:51.707-04:002011-04-18T15:28:51.707-04:00One of the problems with testing and this test cul...One of the problems with testing and this test culture is that the idea of intrinsic value is lost. As teachers, I really feel that our job is to instill a love of learning, to foster a child's curiosity, to make them WANT to learn. As you said, Rachel, tests are excellent diagnostic tools. So are thermometers but we want our doctors to do more than just take our temperature. I see the weariness in my students after 4 BAS tests and a DC CAS and I know I have my work cut out for me in keeping their interest for the rest of the year.AVParodihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875792642302052800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-16561802456572242072011-04-17T21:33:35.636-04:002011-04-17T21:33:35.636-04:00Thanks, Anon for reading & commenting!
Hey th...Thanks, Anon for reading & commenting!<br /><br />Hey there, Karl. So glad you made it here. I generally agree with you about standardized tests. <br /><br />I refer to reading tests as an example (I don't know about math because I don't have any kind of a math background, but as an ESOL teacher, I would also use English language proficiency assessments as an example) because I do think sometimes it can be useful to have normed assessments that all students in the same class, school, or district take so that their educators and parents have a general idea of where their students are compared to their peers. It's only one small piece of the puzzle, but it can sometimes be an informative one. Such information has helped me and I've seen it used appropriately and well by my children's teachers. That being said, districts need to make sure the tests are of high quality, that teachers find them useful and worthwhile, and that they're being used for their intended purpose--as tools to inform instruction. In general, to figure out what students have learned, I agree that teacher-generated assessments are far superior.<br /><br />In fact, equipping kids with strategies to assess themselves, for example to tell if a book is too easy or hard, is even better. My sons were taught in kindergarten and 1st grade strategies such as the 5-finger rule and taking a "picture walk" prior to reading a book. It gave them the confidence to try books, but the agency to say "this book is too hard for me. I'm going to put it down and find something else to read." It saved them a lot of frustration and helped to build their confidence.Rachel Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06844728669493681943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-46652002955369822852011-04-16T23:24:21.348-04:002011-04-16T23:24:21.348-04:00Teachers appear to be just as good or better as as...Teachers appear to be just as good or better as assessing where kids are at (assuming their year isn't crammed with 25 tests), for example, the grades teachers give better predict college success than college entrance exams do. The tests have made themselves seem more useful than they are by displacing from the day all the other means through which teachers can assess kids--and we're already paying the teachers to be there. <br />David Berliner also reports that he has data that teachers are just as good at identifying reading difficulties. Standardized tests are the potato chip that makes us but the drink (test-prep curriculum). There's little evidence we need them at all, except for diagnosing disabilities and some broad matrix sampling so we know broad trends. <br /><br />-Karl WheatleyKarl Wheatleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-54035562128050509272011-04-16T11:31:42.735-04:002011-04-16T11:31:42.735-04:00Thank you for saying what needs to be said.Thank you for saying what needs to be said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com