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Showing posts from March, 2014

Time for a Test--on Testing

T here has been quite a bit of buzz in the news and social media about the use of standardized tests. This position paper recently caught my attention.... *          *          * Take a seat, sharpen your pencils, and turn off all electronic devices. It’s time for a test—on testing .             Are standardized tests: a.        an accurate measure of whether teachers have educated their students, b.        equalizers through their uniformity, c.        ensuring that No Child is being Left Behind, or d.        tests which improve students’ critical thinking before they enter the Real           World?       Actually, the answer is e. none of the above. Standardized tests stifle creativity and individuality, leaving students to trade original thought for perfectly filled bubble sheets. The number of tests children must take has rapidly multiplied—even as early as kindergarten—and thus, anxiety about them has done so as well. Yet they are still use