Across the United States, our testing season has begun. Walk into our classroom and you will see bare walls and desks in rows. Students engaged only with their computer. Utter silence only broken by nervous sighs as students either concentrate or give up. How many days of this depends on the age. And I get that this is supposed to measure how well I do as a teacher, I get that this is supposed to be able to compare my students with all those others taking the same test. I get that this is supposed to be objective because it is the same test for all of the kids. And yet, as a parent I fail to see the purpose of this test. As a parent I would not subject my own child to this. So as a teacher I thought I would share a few thoughts of why I question the test.
Read more.
cross posted at http://pernillesripp.com/
Mass consumer of incredible books, Pernille Ripp helps students discover their superpower as a middle school teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin. She opens up her educational practices and beliefs to the world on her blog www.pernillesripp.com and is also the creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, a global literacy initiative that since 2010 has connected more than 1,00,000 students. Her book Passionate Learners - How to Engage and Empower Your Students is helping teachers change the way students feel about school. Her other book Empowered Schools, Empowered Students is meant to give others the courage to change. Follow her on Twitter @pernilleripp.
