Sunday, December 03, 2006

How about a standard test for state legislators

I was reading Anne Davis’ article on High-stakes testing is one of our biggest obstacles to overcome!. I must say as a pre-service teacher I am concerned about the emphasis states are placing on test scores and not on the true quality of education, to evaluate a teacher on the test results of students is judging someone on a very small fraction of what they actually do. I think, in many cases, the willingness of courts to accept the opinion of a vocal misinformed parent over those of professional educators is a major part of the problem. I also think elected legislators who look at schools as cost centers, and not as necessary investments in the future of this country are also part of the big picture problem. What I have observed during my practicum is teachers are so much more than just educators. They are councilors, advisors, nurses, waiters, janitors, and almost any other job you can think of. I am looking forward to being all of these. The issue of standard tests being the only measure of the quality of education is one that must be addressed soon, the repercussions of failing to address the issue could potentially drive many great professionals out of teaching. What is a solution to the test issue? Is there a solution to this issue? These are questions out elected officials at the state level must answer.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home