Here is an interesting commentary on testing programs and how they are impacting the ways in which we educate students.
Testing is something that I have been contemplating for the last 2 years and I'm interested in what people think about the level of testing that we do in our District. I have a 2nd grade daughter who is taking the Curriculum Associates testing this year and I don't think she cares for it much and I don't see any advantage to her taking the test.
Last week I attended an Apple Education conference in San Jose where managers from Apple, teachers and school administrators from all over California got together to talk about programs where entire classes of students have i Pads. The improvements that they are experiencing in student achievement in all sectors, be it English Language Learner, Special Education, Socioeconomic Disadvantaged, Minority, etc. are truly amazing. These programs are all creative thinking based and are not based on rote memorization of test materials. These are programs where students, teachers and administrators think for themselves and apply creative thought to the challenges that they face. They are experiencing fewer behavioral problems, higher attendance rates and increased student achievement, and the changes are significant.
I think testing became popular because politicians found that it resonated with constituents. Politicians stated that they were going to demand better performance from schools and they were going to regularly test students to provide accountability. They were going to hold schools, teachers, administrators and Board Members accountable for student achievement.
So we have tons of testing now, in our district and in districts across the Nation. Is it working? Is this what you want for your students?
Testing is something that I have been contemplating for the last 2 years and I'm interested in what people think about the level of testing that we do in our District. I have a 2nd grade daughter who is taking the Curriculum Associates testing this year and I don't think she cares for it much and I don't see any advantage to her taking the test.
Last week I attended an Apple Education conference in San Jose where managers from Apple, teachers and school administrators from all over California got together to talk about programs where entire classes of students have i Pads. The improvements that they are experiencing in student achievement in all sectors, be it English Language Learner, Special Education, Socioeconomic Disadvantaged, Minority, etc. are truly amazing. These programs are all creative thinking based and are not based on rote memorization of test materials. These are programs where students, teachers and administrators think for themselves and apply creative thought to the challenges that they face. They are experiencing fewer behavioral problems, higher attendance rates and increased student achievement, and the changes are significant.
I think testing became popular because politicians found that it resonated with constituents. Politicians stated that they were going to demand better performance from schools and they were going to regularly test students to provide accountability. They were going to hold schools, teachers, administrators and Board Members accountable for student achievement.
So we have tons of testing now, in our district and in districts across the Nation. Is it working? Is this what you want for your students?
Mt. Diablo Unified School District Blog HERE.
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