Fantastic Voyage

Over at Teaching in the 408, there’s an interesting blog post and string of comments on NCLB, the value of testing, triaging students, and what exactly is meant by basic skills.

 In “Rules for the Voyage,” blogger TMAO writes

NCLB says test kids, report what happens, and if you blow, feel the pressure to pick it up. If that makes educators stressed or sad, that level of stress is nothing compared to the stress of being a young person without the skills to be successful.

A commenter counters:

I think you have accepted the frame that the proponents of NCLB have been selling and that is that we NEVER KNEW we were failing kids. Wrong.

The tests have never revealed anything to me - or other professional educators - that which we did not already know about our students. I know who needs help and I know who I feel equipped to help and who I struggle to help. (Where do I start with an eleventh grader reading on the second grade level? Help him/her? Or help the other 27?)  What I need is HELP in helping those students and not a test to show me who is failing at the very important task of literacy.

Explore posts in the same categories: accountability, testing