The Answer Sheet: standardized tests


Posted at 04:01 AM ET, 05/23/2013

NY principals: Why new Common Core tests failed
By Valerie Strauss
Principals detail the flaws of new high-stakes standardized tests in New York.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:01 AM ET, 05/23/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  'We Are Concerned', Standardized Tests

Posted at 05:01 AM ET, 05/08/2013

Eighth grader: What bothered me most about new Common Core test
By Valerie Strauss
A 14-year-old boy in New York details what he found so annoying about the new Common Core-aligned English test he and other students around the state just took.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:01 AM ET, 05/08/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Common Core Tests, Standardized Tests, Worse Than Pineapple Test

Posted at 12:02 PM ET, 05/06/2013

The problem with Pearson-designed tests that threatens thousands of scores
By Valerie Strauss
'It's testing season in New York, which can mean only one thing: It's open season on Pearson, the corporation everyone loves to hate. But this time, when they crossed a serious line, far too many state leaders and reformers are holding their fire.'

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:02 PM ET, 05/06/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  A Line Is Crossed, Standardized Tests

Posted at 04:02 AM ET, 05/06/2013

They made him take the test
By Valerie Strauss
Nobody in Florida with the power to do so stopped the state from forcing a 9-year-old boy named Michael, who was born with a brain stem but not a complete brain, from taking a standardized test.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 AM ET, 05/06/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  A Travesty, Standardized Tests

Posted at 12:26 PM ET, 05/04/2013

Severe technical problems raise concerns over online tests
By Valerie Strauss
In several states online problems during test administration forced postponement and sparked new concerns about testing.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:26 PM ET, 05/04/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests

Posted at 06:31 AM ET, 05/02/2013

Hospitalized 4th grader, hooked up to machines, asked to take standardized test
By Valerie Strauss
Put this in the you-can't-make-up-this-stuff category.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:31 AM ET, 05/02/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  For Real, Standardized Tests

Posted at 04:02 AM ET, 04/30/2013

Have standardized tests really helped kids learn more?
By Valerie Strauss

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 AM ET, 04/30/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, There's No Evidence It Has

Posted at 06:02 AM ET, 04/26/2013

Why the public should see questions on new standardized tests
By Valerie Strauss

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:02 AM ET, 04/26/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  High Stakes, Standardized Tests

Posted at 03:52 PM ET, 04/24/2013

Students in D.C. region can't formally 'opt out' of standardized tests
By Valerie Strauss
Parents in some other states are formally "opting out" of high-stakes standardized tests and keeping their children at home on test days, but they can't in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:52 PM ET, 04/24/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Movement Growing, Opt Out Movement, Standardized Tests

Posted at 04:03 AM ET, 04/23/2013

Standardized test questions kids have to answer that don't even count
By Valerie Strauss
Parents and students may not know this, but all of the questions kids have to answer on standardized tests don't actually count. Here's why.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:03 AM ET, 04/23/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Field Test Questions, Field Testing, Standardized Tests

Posted at 10:02 AM ET, 04/22/2013

School warns students: No test, no sports
By Valerie Strauss
How's this for twisting students' arms to take high-stakes standardized tests?

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:02 AM ET, 04/22/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  A Threat?, Standardized Tests

Posted at 04:02 AM ET, 04/22/2013

Pearson flubs test scoring for gifted-and-talented programs

By Valerie Strauss
Pearson, the world's largest education company, was just forced to apologize for making errors in its scoring of assessments for entry into gifted and talented programs in New York City public schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 AM ET, 04/22/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Company Apologizes, Standardized Tests

Posted at 10:54 AM ET, 04/20/2013

New standardized tests feature plugs for commercial products
By Valerie Strauss
And now, commercials on new high-stakes standardized tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:54 AM ET, 04/20/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, Students Confused

Posted at 06:02 AM ET, 04/17/2013

Eighth grader designs standardized test that slams standardized tests

By Valerie Strauss
The reading passage starts: 'Dear New York State, I am not fond of your tests. They do not show you who I am, or who my teachers are....'

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:02 AM ET, 04/17/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Reading Multiple Choice, Standardized Tests

Posted at 06:02 AM ET, 04/16/2013

Common Core testing begins in NY -- but are exams ready for prime time?
By Valerie Strauss
A testing expert explains why the new Common Core-aligned standardized tests that New York State students are starting to take are not really ready to be administered.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:02 AM ET, 04/16/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  No, Standardized Tests, Testing Expert Says

Posted at 04:02 AM ET, 04/16/2013

Teacher: Yes, the testing culture does contribute to cheating
By Valerie Strauss
An award-winning elementary school teacher writes the third part in something of a debate on the Atlanta test cheating scandal and what/who is to blame when educators cheat on student standardized tests.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 AM ET, 04/16/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Environment Matters, Standardized Tests, Test Cheating

Posted at 03:29 PM ET, 04/15/2013

Lawsuit: Stop evaluating teachers on test scores of students they never taught (2nd update)

By Valerie Strauss
A group of teachers and teachers unions are filing a lawsuit against Florida officials that challenges the state's educator evaluation system.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:29 PM ET, 04/15/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Makes No Sense, Standardized Tests

Posted at 12:12 PM ET, 04/14/2013

How they cheated on D.C. tests: Excerpts from new report
By Valerie Strauss
How many ways did D.C. educators cheat on the 2102 high-stakes Comprehensive Assessment System tests given to students?

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:12 PM ET, 04/14/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Cheating on Tests, Multiple Ways, Standardized Tests

Posted at 10:11 AM ET, 04/14/2013

Probe of past D.C. test cheating called 'impractical' (update)

By Valerie Strauss
The D.C. Council's Education Committee will discuss the standardized test cheating scandal at a previously scheduled hearing on Thursday that, ironically, was intended to be about about test security .

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:11 AM ET, 04/14/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Better Late Than Never, D.C. Schools, Michelle Rhee, Standardized Tests, Test Cheating

Posted at 01:02 PM ET, 04/11/2013

The test didn't make them cheat
By Valerie Strauss
A leading educator takes issue with Bill Ayers' post which said the road to the Atlanta cheating scandal "runs through the White House.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:02 PM ET, 04/11/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  A Response to Bill Ayers, Standardized Tests, Test Cheating

Posted at 11:47 PM ET, 04/07/2013

Principal warns parents: 'Don't buy the bunk' about new Common Core tests

By Valerie Strauss
Parents will soon be told whether their children are "on the road" to college readiness based on cut scores on tests of the new Common Core standards. But there is no evidence the scores will have any meaning.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:47 PM ET, 04/07/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Common Core State Standards, High-Stakes Tests, Questions About 'Cut Scores', Standardized Tests

Posted at 02:04 PM ET, 04/07/2013

Mom: Why I won't let my son take high-stakes standardized test
By Valerie Strauss
" As test prep ramped up in February and March I had another revelation: Jacob does not love to read. Based on what he was bringing home from school, how could he? I realized that if I wanted to help him to love to read I had to take off the pressure that was coming from the PSSA."

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:04 PM ET, 04/07/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, Tests Making Schools 'Worse'

Posted at 04:02 AM ET, 04/03/2013

Bill Ayers: Road to Atlanta cheating scandal 'runs right through White House'
By Valerie Strauss
Longtime educator Bill Ayers focuses on federal school reform policies that led to the Atlanta cheating scandal.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 AM ET, 04/03/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, Test Cheating

Posted at 12:32 PM ET, 04/02/2013

Why Common Core tests won't be what Arne Duncan promised
By Valerie Strauss
How much better will the next generation of standardized tests, aligned to the Common Core standards, really be?

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:32 PM ET, 04/02/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  After $360 Million, Common Core Standards, Standardized Tests

Posted at 04:02 PM ET, 03/30/2013

List of charges against 35 in Atlanta test cheating indictment
By Valerie Strauss
Here's the release issued by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office in Georgia with details and a list of charges in the Atlanta test cheating indictment.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 PM ET, 03/30/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Charged Under RICO, Standardized Tests, Test Cheating

Posted at 11:11 AM ET, 03/30/2013

Atlanta's former schools chief charged under law used against Mafia

By Valerie Strauss
A law used against members of the Gambino crime family is being used against a former superintendent of Atlanta schools in a massive test cheating scandal. Who is next?

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:11 AM ET, 03/30/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Indictments in Atlanta, Standardized Tests

Posted at 01:54 PM ET, 03/21/2013

Louisiana wants to link student funding to test scores
By Valerie Strauss
Just when you think there are no other ways to pervert the use of high-stakes standardized test scores, school reformers show just how creative they are.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:54 PM ET, 03/21/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, The Testing Obsession Grows

Posted at 04:23 PM ET, 03/19/2013

Sixty percent of adults who took standardized test bombed
By Valerie Strauss
The bottom line: Sixty percent bombed the test. Translation: Most adults who took a student standardized test pretty much flunked it.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:23 PM ET, 03/19/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, What Does This Mean For Kids?

Posted at 03:21 PM ET, 03/14/2013

What happened when a Rhode Island state senator took a student standardized test?
By Valerie Strauss
A Rhode Island state senator was one of the first of some 50 adults who have agreed to take a version of the state's standardized test, part of an action aimed at protesting a new high school testing graduation requirement that students say is unfair.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:21 PM ET, 03/14/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  How Did She Do?, More Adults Taking Exam, More Adults Taking Test, School Reform, Standardized Tests

Posted at 09:05 AM ET, 03/14/2013

Adults to take standardized test forced on students
By Valerie Strauss
Dozens of Rhode Island legislators, city officials, and other adults will take a version of the state's high-stakes standardized tests for students to focus attention on a new state graduation testing policy that is threatening to hold back large percentages of students.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:05 AM ET, 03/14/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, What's Good For The Goose....

Posted at 11:02 AM ET, 03/13/2013

The day some Seattle teachers said 'no' to standardized tests

By Valerie Strauss
It all started with one teacher. Here's the story of how the teachers at a Seattle high school decided to stop giving a state mandated standardized test.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:02 AM ET, 03/13/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  A Great Video, Standardized Tests

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 03/11/2013

Student protests against standardized tests spreading
By Valerie Strauss
Colorado students are planning to walk out of the state's mandatory assessment this week and protest at the state Capitol Building, the latest in growing student pushback against high-stakes tests.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 03/11/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, Videos Explain Action

Posted at 03:55 PM ET, 02/22/2013

Massachusetts professors protest high-stakes standardized tests
By Valerie Strauss
A coalition of more than 130 Massachusetts professors and researchers from at least 20 schools -- including Harvard -- signed a public statement opposing high-stakes standardized tests to assess students, teachers and schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:55 PM ET, 02/22/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  New Step in Revolt, Standardized Tests, Testing Revolt

Posted at 11:39 AM ET, 01/26/2013

Teacher boycott of standardized test in Seattle spreads
By Valerie Strauss
A boycott of Washington state's mandated standardized test by teachers at a Seattle school is spreading to other schools and winning support across the country, including from the two largest teachers' unions, parents, researchers and education activists.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:39 AM ET, 01/26/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Does President Obama Know?, Garifled Teachers, Standardized Test Revolt, Standardized Tests

Posted at 03:37 PM ET, 01/16/2013

Michelle Rhee and the missing memo
By Valerie Strauss
There's a new twist in the story about whether or not there was cheating on standardized tests in D.C. public schools during the period when Michelle Rhee was chancellor.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:37 PM ET, 01/16/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Michelle Rhee, Standardized Tests and Cheating, What Does It Say?

Posted at 10:28 AM ET, 01/11/2013

Teachers refuse to give standardized test at Seattle high schools -- Update

By Valerie Strauss
This appears to be a first: Teachers at a high school -- Garfield in Seattle -- have decided to refuse to give mandated standardized district tests called the Measures of Academy Progress because, they say, the exams don't evaluate learning and are a waste of time.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:28 AM ET, 01/11/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  New Step in Revolt, Standardized Tests

Posted at 04:09 PM ET, 11/30/2012

My kindergartener had 14 tests this year'
By Valerie Strauss
When one testing window closes, another one opens. We are in a constant state of testing," Madeline Kobayashi, a teacher at Philip Rogers Elementary School in Chicago, said at a townhall forum titled "The Culture of Testing" in Chicago Public Schools. Here's are video clips with some powerful testimony from teachers and parents

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:09 PM ET, 11/30/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Tests, The Culture of Testing

Posted at 04:11 PM ET, 11/19/2012

Study: Homework linked to better standardized test scores
By Valerie Strauss
Researchers who looked at data from more than 18,000 10th-graders found little correlation between the time students spent doing homework and better grades in math and science courses. But they did find a positive relationship the time spent on homework and standardized test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:11 PM ET, 11/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Education Research, Homework, Standardized Tests

Posted at 04:43 PM ET, 10/05/2012

Cheating scandal lands ex-schools chief in prison in El Paso
By Valerie Strauss
Former El Paso schools chief gets 3 1/2 years for raising cheating to a whole new level.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:43 PM ET, 10/05/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Cheating Scandal, Standardized Tests; Cheating;

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 03/02/2011

March Madness: 'My name is Luke and I refuse to take your test'
By Valerie Strauss
A father writes that his 11-year-old has spent this year in school getting ready for this month's Pennsylvania standardized assessment tests rather than pursuing intellectually stimulating classroom experiences. Now he wonders if he should ask his son to boycott the tests.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 03/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Standardized Tests | Tags:  bartleby project, penn state, pennsylvania assessments, rube goldberg, standardized tests

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 02/02/2011

The Bartleby Project
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran educator writes about the country's obsession with standardized testing and what might be done about it.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 02/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  education reform, president obama, school reform, standardized test industry, standardized tests, test industry, the bartleby project

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/26/2011

Things I’m sick of hearing

By Valerie Strauss
It’s time for school reformers to find new ways to attack their critics. It’s getting tiring hearing the same old refrains, which go something like this.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/26/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap | Tags:  charter schools, data-driven reform, michelle rhee, president obama, school reform, standardized tests, teachers unions

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/13/2011

Are more high-stakes tests inevitable? A teacher says 'no'
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher writes that education reformers have promised far more than they can deliver, and that more testing is not inevitable as many teachers, students and parents fear.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody | Tags:  anthony cody, high-stakes standardized tests, high-stakes tests, nclb, no child left behind, school reform, standardized tests

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 01/09/2011

How to be taken seriously as a reformer (don't be an educator)
By Valerie Strauss
In the current upside-down world of education policy, there's one foolproof strategy for being taken seriously as a reformer: Make sure you're not an educator. Here, an educator writes about what counts -- and what SHOULD count -- in the school reform debate.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:30 AM ET, 01/09/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Illiinois schools, Performance Counts, bill gates, eli broad, jeb bush, mark zuckerberg, obama and schools, obama daughters and school, oprah, performance counts, president obama and daughters, school reform, sidwell and obama, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teachers

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/06/2011

A principal on standardized vs. teacher-written tests
By Valerie Strauss
Educator George Wood urges Congress not to rely on standardized tests to measure achievement. If you don't think that "data-driven decision-making" is really test-driven decision making, consider this: Ohio’s school report cards consist of 26 “data” points, and 24 of them—92%--are test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/06/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  George Wood, George Wood, George Wood, George Wood, George Wood | Tags:  arne duncan, disaggregated data, education secretary duncan, elementary and secondary school act, esea, esea reauthoraization, george word, nclb, new congress, new york performance assessment consortium, no child left behind, reauthorization of no child left behind, standardized tests

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 01/05/2011

Resolutions someone should make for 2011
By Valerie Strauss
An educator offers some resolutions for the new year: That President Obama et al stop saying, "We are going to educate ourselves toward a 21st Century economy;" that people who really know about education appear on Oprah; that policy makers stop making standardized testing the gold standard of student achievement and teacher effectiveness; that we stop using corporate speak (game changer, incentivize) to talk about education. And more.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:30 PM ET, 01/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  2011 resolutions, ian hacking, mike rose, new year's resolutions, obama and education policy, oprah, oprah winfrey, president obama, standardized tests, stephen jay gould, student achievement, teacher effectiveness

Posted at 01:36 PM ET, 01/03/2011

America’s disdain for its children

By Valerie Strauss
Americans don’t really think very much of their children. Not really. Just take a look at the world of education.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:36 PM ET, 01/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, children, poverty, standardized tests, teacher evaluation, teachers

Posted at 04:00 AM ET, 01/03/2011

The "bad teacher" bogeyman and its consequences
By Valerie Strauss
An educator dissects how the teaching profession is being attacked and what the consequences are for the country.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:00 AM ET, 01/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody | Tags:  anthony cody, assessing teachers, bad teachers, effective teachers, eric hanushek, school reform, standardized tests

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 12/23/2010

Test scores can't prove whether teacher experience matters
By Valerie Strauss
People such as Bill Gates and Arne Duncan who say teacher experience doesn't matter much are relying on standardized test scores for evidence, even though the tests fail to provide adequate evidence for drawing such a conclusion.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 12/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher evalution, teachers, test scores

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/22/2010

The lowdown on standardized tests and how they are scored
By Valerie Strauss
If you think machines score all of the standardized tests kids take, guess again. Rather, an army of low-paid, poorly trained temps score them. Test scorers tell the tale.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  common core standards, how tests are scored, no child left behind, race to the top, standardized test industry, standardized test scoring, standardized tests, test industry, test scoring

Posted at 02:05 PM ET, 12/21/2010

A sobering look at Florida school reform
By Valerie Strauss
With Florida increasingly being looked to as a national model for school reform, here's a clear-eyed look at exactly what has been going on in the Sunshine State.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:05 PM ET, 12/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, florida school reform, jeb bush, school reform, sherman dorn, standardized tests

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 12/21/2010

How a teachers' union actually helped kids (not just adults)
By Valerie Strauss
You've probably heard a lot about how teacher unions are obstacles to meaningful school reforms, but you probably have NOT heard about this remarkable union-involved success story in California.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 12/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody | Tags:  academic performance index, achievement gap, api, california schools, california teachers association, qeia, standardized tests, teachers union

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/15/2010

Standardized snake oil -- Brady
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Marion Brady writes: "Consider as failing every school – public, charter, private, whatever – that assumes that corporately produced, standardized tests say something important about something important."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  marion brady, standardized tests

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/13/2010

A Felliniesque education story
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher writes that if today's education debate seems Felliniesque, don’t worry; you have not lost your senses. "What is apparent, however, is that the people who run the show have."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  david steiner, fellini, how to assess teachers, merryl tisch, new york board of education, nyc schools, releasing test scores, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teachers, test scores released

Posted at 10:11 AM ET, 12/09/2010

How poverty affected U.S. PISA scores
By Valerie Strauss
How did the effects of poverty affect the latest scores on the Program for International Student Assessment, known as PISA?

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:11 AM ET, 12/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Research, Research | Tags:  pisa, pisa results, pisa scores, school reform, standardized tests, stephen krashen

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/07/2010

Assessing teachers without fetishizing test-based reforms
By Valerie Strauss
An educator writes that policymakers are fetishizing student scores on standardized tests and using them as a crutch rather than turning to sensible solutions to improve public schools. There are better ways to assess teacher quality, he says.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  assessing teachers, los angeles times, no child left behind, race to the top, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, test scores, value added

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/06/2010

Do international test comparisons make sense?
By Valerie Strauss
Tomorrow we will learn the latest results of a major international test, and we can expect a lot of angst over the ranking of U.S. students. Before the hullabalo starts, let's look back at what Gerald Bracey thought about international comparisons. The short answer: Not much.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  gerald bracey, how u.s. students fare internationally, how u.s. students rank, international comparisons, pisa, standardized tests, timss, u.s. comparisons internationally

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 11/29/2010

What Tom Friedman got wrong about schools and why it matters
By Valerie Strauss
The great New York Times columnist Tom Friedman wrote in a recent piece that if he were a cub reporter today, he’d want to be “covering the epicenter of national security -- but that would be the Education Department.” If Friedman the cub reporter had turned in this piece, a veteran education editor would have sent it back, asking him to back up his contentions with research. He’d have a hard time.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 11/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, education secretary arne duncan, performance pay, public schools, school reform, schools, standardized tests, teacher evaluation, the new york times, tom friedman

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 11/24/2010

The mismatch between Duncan's words, actions
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher writes an open letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, saying that the mismatch between Duncan's words and actions makes "a real consensus impossible."

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 11/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody | Tags:  anthony cody, arne duncan, education secretary, evaluating teachers, school reform, standardized tests, teacher assessment, value-added

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 11/22/2010

Hannah Arendt and the point of education
By Valerie Strauss
An award-winning veteran teacher reflects on the reasons we bother to educate children, and concludes that we have forgotten or never knew, because if we did, we wouldn't do it the way we do now. "I find I am becoming increasingly radicalized as I age," he writes.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 11/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  education, guest bloggers, hannah arendt, kenneth bernstein, standardized tests

Posted at 03:16 PM ET, 11/20/2010

Testing scandal claims Atlanta schools superintendent

By Valerie Strauss
Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall bows for her to step down amid a major standardized testing scandal and says she won't return next year.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:16 PM ET, 11/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  atlanta, atlanta superintendent, atlanta superintendentn resigns, atlanta tests, crct, criterion referenced competency tests, georgia scandal, georgia testing scandal, hall, hall resigns, standardized tests, testing scandal

Posted at 12:46 PM ET, 11/20/2010

Why teaching experience really matters
By Valerie Strauss
Bill Gates just urged school districts and states to stop rewarding teachers for their experience in the classroom and/or advanced education degrees. Arne Duncan makes the same argument. But evidence shows that teaching experience DOES matter.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:46 PM ET, 11/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, bill gates, class size, does experience matter, education department, education secretary duncan, lowering class size, raising class size, research on class size, research on teaching experience, school reform, schools, shankar blog, standardized tests, teacher experience, teacher pay, teacher quality, teacher salaries, teachers, teaching experience, value added

Posted at 06:09 PM ET, 11/18/2010

The NAEP scores problem
By Valerie Strauss
When you live by test scores, you run the risk of dying by them too -- or, at least, the policies that dictated their importance should.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:09 PM ET, 11/18/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan | Tags:  arne duncan, education secretary arne duncan, naep, naep scores, national assessment of educational progress, standardized tests, test scores

Posted at 10:57 AM ET, 11/16/2010

Experts: How to overhaul teacher ed (and my problem with their report)
By Valerie Strauss
A major report released today calls for overhauling teacher education programs. It offers a number of strong recommendations, but, unfortunately, continues a reliance on standardized tests.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:57 AM ET, 11/16/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests | Tags:  blue ribbon panel, blue ribbon panel report, education programs need overhauling, effective teachers, preparing teachers, report on clinical practice, report on teacher education, report on teacher preparation, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher ed, teacher education, teacher education programs, teacher education through clinical practice, teacher preparation, teacher quality

Posted at 03:30 PM ET, 11/02/2010

What Michelle Rhee did in D.C.: Point by point
By Valerie Strauss
Here's a final critique of Michelle Rhee's legacy as chancellor of D.C. public schools, point by point, by a former D.C. schools student and teacher.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:30 PM ET, 11/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  D.C. Schools, D.C. Schools | Tags:  d.c. schools, diane ravitch, michelle rhee, naep, rhee's legacy, standardized tests

Posted at 02:55 PM ET, 10/28/2010

How to evaluate students: Look at their work
By Valerie Strauss
The best way to find out what students know and can do is to look at their actual work, not by the results of a standardized test. Monty Neill looks at how a local assessment system can work.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:55 PM ET, 10/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  fairtest, learning record, local assessment, monty neill, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, problem solving, standardized tests

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 10/27/2010

Ravitch on how wrong 'Superman' really is
By Valerie Strauss
Education historian Diane Ravitch critiques the most basic things that Davis Guggenheim got wrong in 'Waiting for Superman.'

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 10/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, davis guggenheim, diane ravitch, naep, proficient, standardized tests, waiting for superman

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/21/2010

English teacher: Data can drive us down wrong road
By Valerie Strauss
An English teacher writes: "Strict adherence to data-driven instruction can lead schools to push aside science and social studies to drill students on isolated reading benchmarks.... It is difficult to teach kids to read well if they don’t learn to enjoy reading. It is impossible to teach kids to read well while denying them the knowledge they need to make sense of complex material. Following the data often forces teachers to do just that."

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning, Learning, Learning | Tags:  compare and contrast, fcat, florida comprehensive assessment test, standardized tests, teachers, teaching, test questions

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 10/19/2010

Reduce standardized testing to improve accountability, school quality
By Valerie Strauss
FairTest's Monty Neill writes that reducing the amount of standardized testing, and lowering the stakes connected to the result will result in more accountability and school quality.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 10/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, quality reviews, race to the top, school-based assessments, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, testing

Posted at 11:35 AM ET, 10/15/2010

The limits of Moco schools' economic integration study
By Valerie Strauss
There are big limits to the study released today showing that several hundred low-income students who went to school in low-poverty schools in Montgomery County did better on standardized math tests than kids who went to high-poverty schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:35 AM ET, 10/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Equity, Equity, Equity | Tags:  casey foundation, david berliner, economic integration, high-poverty schools, low-income families, michelle rhee, moco schools, montgomery county schools, poverty, standardized tests

Posted at 10:25 AM ET, 10/08/2010

Using 'School Quality Reviews' to improve schools
By Valerie Strauss
Here is the first of three articles that will describe an assessment and evaluation system for schools that its authors, Monty Neill and Gary Ratner, argue should replace No Child Left Behind's test-centric structure.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:25 AM ET, 10/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  assessing schools, evaluating schools, fairtest, monty neill, naep, nclb, no child left behind, school quality reviews, standardized tests, state tests

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 09/20/2010

What Americans really think about public schools
By Valerie Strauss
In an era of unrelenting bashing of public education by “experts,” a new poll shows that most Americans actually like their neighborhood public schools -- though they don’t seem to like public schools in general -- and they have trust in teachers. And the Obama administration’s education agenda gets mixed reviews in the 2010 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 09/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Research, Research, Research | Tags:  content standards, failing schools, gallup poll, kappan magazine, obama and education, obama and school reform, pdk poll, phi delta kappa, public schools, school funding, standardized tests, teacher quality, teachers and pay, teachers and respect, what americans think about education

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010

How the ACT caught up with the SAT
By Valerie Strauss
For more than 80 years, the SAT has been the nation’s dominant, standardized college admissions exam. This year – for the first time – as many students in the high school class of 2010 sat for the rival ACT as took the SAT. How did it happen?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  act, college admissions, crossing the finish line, fairtest, sat, sat act, sat or act, sat vs. act, standardized tests, test-optional colleges, test-optional schools, writing section act, writing section sat

Posted at 11:13 AM ET, 08/07/2010

Why you should be skeptical about standardized test scores
By Valerie Strauss
A Columbia University teacher writes about the problems with our faith our standardized test scores: "Yes, we 'just' need better tests. But creating better tests is very hard and very expensive. And in a system as vast and complex as ours, it’ll be tempting to continue using tests that can be graded quickly and that don’t look very different from the ones we now use. But without a radically different approach to standardized testing in this country, we are unlikely to get different results."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:13 AM ET, 08/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  in, obama and education, obama's education policies, rhe, rhee fires teachers, standardized test scores, using standardized tests for high stakes decisions

Posted at 11:59 AM ET, 07/19/2010

New test scoring problems for Pearson
By Valerie Strauss
On the heels of a fiasco in Florida with scoring the state achievement tests, NCS Pearson has a new scoring problem, this time in Minnesota. Here's a list of similar problems, underscoring why using standardized test scores for high-stakes decisions is wrong.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:59 AM ET, 07/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT results delayed, FCAT scores delayed, FairTEST, fairtest, minnesota test scores delayed, ncs pearson, pearson and FCAT, pearson and minnesota tests, pearson and scoring tests, standardized tests, test results delayed

Posted at 11:02 AM ET, 07/15/2010

Florida's FCAT scandal -- the next chapter
By Valerie Strauss
Let’s go to Florida for the latest entry in the category of “you can’t make up this stuff.” Here's the latest twist in the scandal over the state's 2010 standardized test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:02 AM ET, 07/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT, eric smith, florida comprehensive assessment test, florida education department, ncs pearson, pearson and fcats, problems with fcats, standardized tests

Posted at 04:30 PM ET, 07/13/2010

Rhee’s problem with D.C.’s new test scores

By Valerie Strauss
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has a problem, and it’s not the fact that elementary school standardized test scores just went down (at, it is worth noting, a bad time for Mayor Adrian Fenty, who appointed her and is seeking re-election).

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:30 PM ET, 07/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  D.C. Schools, D.C. Schools | Tags:  CAS scores in d.c., d.c. CAS, d.c. schools, d.c. standardized tests, d.c. test scores down, d.c. test scores mixed, d.c. test scores rise, fairtest, michelle rhee and reform, monty neill, rhee and test scores, tmichscho

Posted at 03:02 PM ET, 07/13/2010

Florida standardized test results challenged
By Valerie Strauss
Six of Florida's largest counties formally protest the results of the state's 2010 standardized test.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:02 PM ET, 07/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT, FCAT scores and anomalies, challenge to FCAT scores, problems with FCAT, standardized tests in florida

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 06/26/2010

Scary things in U.S. report on school vouchers

By Valerie Strauss
A new government report on a voucher program in Washington, D.C., is remarkable for what it says about things other than vouchers.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 06/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  d.c. voucher program, private school voucher program, standardized tests and student achievement, voucher program

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 06/16/2010

The story behind rise in Texas test scores
By Valerie Strauss
Good news: Texas schoolchildren performed better on the 2010 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills this year than they did last, according to preliminary results released this month. Bad news: It turns out that students could pass the test answering fewer questions correctly than in 2009.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 06/16/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  TAKS, TAKS results, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, high-stakes testing and Texas, standardized test results, standardized tests

Posted at 03:15 PM ET, 06/07/2010

Standardized testing follies in Florida
By Valerie Strauss
A major testing company is having myriad problems scoring the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests, just one more reason that standardized tests should not be used for high-stakes decisions.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:15 PM ET, 06/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT problems, florida comprehensive assessment tests, pearson and FCAT, pearson and testing, problems scoring FCAT, standardized testing, standardized tests and florida, the miami herald and testing

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 05/27/2010

Postcards to Mrs. Obama: End high-stakes testing
By Valerie Strauss
Organizations opposed to high-stakes standardized tests are starting a postcard-writing campaign aimed at persuading First Lady Michelle Obama to "encourage" President Obama to end the use of high stakes tests. Lisa Guisbond of FairTest writes about the effort.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:00 PM ET, 05/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests | Tags:  FairTest, fairtest, high-stakes standardized tests, michelle obama and tests, mrs. obama and standardized tests, no child left behind, obama and nclb, obama and race to the top, postcard campaign, postcard campaign to mrs. obama, postcards to first lady, postcards to michelle obama, postcards to mrs. obama, race to the top, standardized tests, standardized tests and results, the problem with race to the top, time out for testing

Posted at 11:59 AM ET, 05/27/2010

What’s wrong with standardized tests?

By Valerie Strauss
Standardized tests are used for so many purposes in schools today that it can be easy to forget why they shouldn’t be used as an exclusive measure to determine anything of importance. Let's review why

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:59 AM ET, 05/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  dangers of high-stakes standardized tests, high-stakes standardized tests, obama administration and school reform, obama and standardized tests, obama and tests, standardized tests

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 05/21/2010

How to combine learning, assessment, accountability
By Valerie Strauss
By Lisa Guisbond and Monty Neill.... It’s a great irony of the current accountability movement that policies like No Child Left Behind starve our children of time to think, create and learn in order to measure them with simplistic tests.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 05/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests | Tags:  accountability and nclb, accountability movement, assessment and accountability, fairtest, lisa guisbond, monty neill, no child left behind, standardized tests

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 05/16/2010

Princeton Reviews takes down ad claims

By Valerie Strauss
The Princeton Review test prep company has voluntarily agreed to stop making certain advertising claims about how many points it can help students improve on various school admissions tests.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 05/16/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  Kaplan and ads, Princeton Review, Princeton Review and ads, claims by Princeton Review, claims by test prep companies, college admissions, getting better scores on tests, improving test scores, standardized tests, test claims, test prep companies

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 05/12/2010

Teachers refuse to give standardized tests to kids
By Valerie Strauss
Maybe there is a lesson in this for American teachers. Saying that they are sick and tired of forcing kids to take standardized tests, thousands of teachers in England are refusing to administer high-stakes standardized tests in English and math this week.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 05/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests | Tags:  boycott in Britain, standardized tests, teachers, teachers boycott test, test boycott

Posted at 01:15 PM ET, 05/11/2010

Horse, then cart, on teacher evaluation -- Hess

By Valerie Strauss
American Enterprise Institute's Frederick M. Hess writes about why Colorado's school reform bill is in one sense a giant step forward, but is overreaching in an "impatient rush to 'fix' teacher quality in one furious burst."

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:15 PM ET, 05/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests | Tags:  Colorado and teachers, Colorado school reform, Frederick Hess, Rick Hess, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teachers

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 04/28/2010

How to measure student growth
By Valerie Strauss
By Lisa Guisbond. Growth models are pitched as a thoroughly modern, scientific way to .answer the age-old parental question: “What did you learn in school this year, my dear?” It seems reasonable enough: Test students at the beginning and the end of the year and measure the “growth” in test scores to see if student achievement is improving. Given the narrow and limited nature of the data used to measure this growth, however, there’s often less than meets the eye in the results. Fortunately, there are better, if little known or understood, ways of both measuring and stimulating real growth in learning.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 04/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Teachers, Teachers, Teachers, Teachers, Teachers, Teachers | Tags:  Race to the Top, growth models, how to evaluate teachers, nclb, no child left behind, schools and growth models, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, teachers

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 04/23/2010

Who’s afraid of the TerraNova 2 test?

By Valerie Strauss
A Montgomery County mother writes about trying not to get stressed out about the standardized tests -- the TerraNova2 -- being given to public school kids next week. But, she finds, it isn't so easy.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 04/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools | Tags:  Montgomery County schools, TerraNova2, montgomery county schools and terranova, standardized tests

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 04/10/2010

Diane Ravitch’s letter to Florida lawmakers

By Valerie Strauss
Here is a letter that education historian Diane Ravitch wrote to Florida lawmakers putting into historical context some of the controversial issues in legislation now on the desk of Gov. Charlie Crist that would change public education in the state. She explains why she thinks that public education would be harmed if the legislation becomes law.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 04/10/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Teachers, Teachers | Tags:  Crist and teachers and bill, Crist and veto, Diane Ravitch, Florida, Florida and teachers, Florida teacher tenure bill, Gov. Charlie Crist, Gov. Crist, House Bill 7189, Senate Bill 6, performance pay for teachers, standardized tests, teacher tenure bill, teachers, teachers and job security, teachers and performance pay

Posted at 05:04 PM ET, 03/24/2010

Florida Senate approves disastrous teachers bill
By Valerie Strauss
On Wednesday, the Florida Senate passed a bill that would end job security for teachers in the state and require school districts to evaluate and pay them primarily on the basis of student test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:04 PM ET, 03/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind | Tags:  FCAT and bush, Florida Senate Bill 6, NCLB, standardized tests, teachers

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 03/24/2010

Disaster for Florida teachers: Senate Bill 6
By Valerie Strauss
A bill in the Florida Senate would go a long way to destroying the teaching profession in the state: It would eliminate job security, and link most of a teacher's pay to how well students perform on standardized tests. The bill takes to extremes the notion, supported by President Obama, of linking teacher evaluation to test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 03/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan | Tags:  Arne Duncan, Florida legislature, President Obama, standardized tests, teacher pay, teachers

Posted at 12:42 PM ET, 01/19/2010

A question for President Obama
By Valerie Strauss
I wonder if President Obama realizes the very huge gap between his pre-election talk about education and the program that his administration is advancing now. Today Obama went to a Virginia school to announce $1.35 billion new funding for his “Race to the Top” initiative for improving the country’s public education system. The total price tag is expected to be $4.35 billion. This effort is the successor to president Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” program in ways more than just timing; the emphasis on standardized test scores that marked NCLB has been carried over into Race to the Top, and even, as some critics, made even more prominent. This is not at all the message that Obama as presidential candidate made repeatedly.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:42 PM ET, 01/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan | Tags:  president obama, race to the top, standardized tests

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 11/30/2009

More standardized testing nightmares
By Valerie Strauss
A story I told recently about getting all of the answers on a standardized test wrong and being diagnosed with “overcomprehension” when I was in second grade elicited some great responses from dozens of you. Here are some of your test horror stories about testing--and at the end, one that the author calls “the ultimate” such disaster.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 11/30/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  standardized tests

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 11/19/2009

Diagnosed with “over-comprehension:” My standardized test nightmare

By Valerie Strauss
This really happened (and I hope Arne Duncan, Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich read this): Second grade. Everglades Elementary School in Miami. Mrs. Hirsch, my classroom teacher, passed out the first standardized test I had ever taken. Math and language arts. I took the exam and declared that I had done very well. Soon after the outstanding Everglades principal, Mrs. Kazer, called my mother and said, “Libby, we have to talk....” I got every answer wrong. Why?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 11/19/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind | Tags:  Arne Duncan, standardized tests

Posted at 01:05 PM ET, 10/07/2009

Is It Tougher Being a Kid Today?
By Valerie Strauss
It isn’t exactly scientific, but a trove of letters and emails written by children each year reveals important information about their concerns. Kids worry about everything, especially tests and homework, but don’t want to tell their parents about it....

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:05 PM ET, 10/07/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Homework, Homework, Homework | Tags:  Highlights magazine, homework, standardized tests, what children worry about

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 09/21/2009

The Problem That Is Kindergarten
By Valerie Strauss
Art. Mathematics. Music. Physical Education. Reading/Language Arts. Science. Social Studies. Guess the school year in which kids first tackle that lineup. Third grade? Second grade? First? Wrong, wrong and wrong. That’s what 5-year-olds in kindergarten are doing in Montgomery County public schools--and in many other districts around the country too.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 09/21/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  kindergarten, montgomery county public schools, standardized tests