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Assessment Without High-Stakes Testing |
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Protecting Childhood and the Purpose of School
David Mitchell, Douglas Gerwin, Ernst Schuberth, Michael Mancini, and Hansjörg Hofrichter
Picture a breezy spring morning at the beach. White-tipped waves roll rhythmically up the sand, washing away footprints like a blackboard eraser on a classroom blackboard. A group of children on a school outing marches purposefully along the shore through the edge of the frothy waves. A couple of eager kids stride out in front. The teacher walking along with the main group of the class notices that one of the boys is lagging behind. The teacher slows her step to find out why this child is not keeping up with his class.
There are several possibilities:
1. The child is unable to keep up with the group due to some disability, physical or emotional, or simply exhaustion from
lack of sleep or nourishment;
2. The child is unwilling to keep up with the group due to a lack of interest or, perhaps, a surfeit of distractions along the
way; or
3. The child does not know how to keep up with the group, possibly because he is new to this experience and has not
been taught how to hold his balance against the waves.
Read the full article here... (PDF - 78 KB) |
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Exposing the Myths of High Stakes Testing |
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Over the recent decade, conversations in education have been dominated by the topic of test scores. Standardized tests are currently lauded as “the answer” to school accountability, higher student achievement, and improved teacher quality. Claims of “objective measures,” and “scientific evaluations” promise to “fix” our schools and improve learning for children once and for all. Most realize the absurdity of this “guarantee” yet they are consoled by the claim ‘scientifically researched’ - however dubious. The standardized testing fib unquestioned and unchallenged imposes serious and lasting consequences for our schools and our children.
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The McGraw-Hill Investor Fact Book
Excerpt from...
McGraw-Hill Investor Fact Book 2004
Education section - page 30 (PDF page 9)
"Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2001, states and districts have been developing assessment plans to meet the new law's requirements for standards, annual assessments, corrective actions, and annual state report cards."
"Key to CTB's (CTB/McGraw-Hill) base business is the implementation and continued funding of NCLB's assessment and accountability provisions. The current Federal budget allocates $390 million for state development and implementation of these requirements. Most states will supplement their allocations."
 View the Education section referenced above by clicking here - PDF (1.85 MB)
Get the latest McGraw-Hill Investor Fact Book here - PDF (2.33 MB)
More Investor Fact Books:
McGraw-Hill Investor Fact Books (2005 - 2009)
McGraw-Hill Investor Fact Books (2001 - 2004)
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Additional Articles:
The following are previously published articles about CSAP:
CSAPs Have Not Worked - The Denver Post
State lawmakers, especially Republicans who usually champion educational choice, have come down in favor of government mandates and against parental choice by defeating House Bill 1289, which would have removed the penalty assessed against schools for students who don't take CSAP tests.
Many families are finding that millions of dollars in school funding have been redirected to high-stakes tests and preparation material and into the pockets of McGraw Hill, publishers of CSAP. Since 2000 and the passage of Senate Bill 186, school class sizes have grown larger, recess has grown shorter, librarians have been replaced with data analysts, test-prep tutorials have been substituted for after-school programs, and meaningful learning has been forfeited for measurable learning.
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National Center for Fair & Open Testing
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers and schools is fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial.
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Last Updated on Friday, 17 September 2010 07:03 |
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