Improving the quality of education delivered through our public schools can not only boost economic growth but also help to narrow income inequality in the U.S. And the best way to improve education is to identify and promote the most talented teachers.
One way of measuring a teacher’s effectiveness has been to see how much his or her students’ test scores rise. This kind of “value added” measure is straightforward and can easily be used to weed out bad teachers and promote better ones.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
20 comments:
OMG Joe. Get ready for the onslaught of comments from this one!
Just like it's a doctor's fault if his patients don't come to appointments, don't take their medicine, smoke, drink and are 300 pounds overweight. If they can't pass a fitness test, he must be a bad doctor.
Exactly why UNION slackers do not want them.
Just like the White House, progressive Communist types do not like accountability.
Only effective when they don't "teach the test"
Unfortunately, the trend these days is for them to do just that, eliminating any way to measure real education.
Exactly Daddio. A pediatrician friend in another state told me she's amazed at the children who cannot read anymore. She said it's because teachers are teaching out of "a box" geared around these tests. It's all memorization-no real thinking anymore in public schools.
And if you have 5 children which severe behavior problems who disturb,inturrupt lesson time and act out through out the entire day, please tell me what are theirs and the rest of the gerenal class scores going reflect?
The answer to the previous post, an administration that has a blind eye
If a child is "officially" labeled as having those types of problems
9:05, test scores are modified, hence the explosion of kids w/ADD, etc.
The reality is these scores do not mean a thing with all the modifications allowed.
Some of the so called "modifications" also allow for the test questions to be read aloud to certain labeled students.
Kids can't read well or not at all, given one of the faux diagnosis' du jour (autism spectrum disorder is the newest as is Aspergers) and are then allowed to take test "modified" especially for such students.
Kids can get proficient or even advanced ratings in reading when the entire test was read to them, as per their modifications. Sorta takes the point out of administering a reading test.
Many of these children with modified tests are receiving a certificate and not a diploma.
To 10:36, disabilities are real, despite what you may think. Yes parents do exaggerate and take things to new levels, but those with disabilities do need and deserve accommodations.
I despise this testing period of the year. I despise even more the lack of teaching anything after the testing till summer break.
OMG, there are so many points I could make about this article, but alas, I am just a parent, wth do I know.
My head hurts thinking about "modified" testing...I need to leave this now.
"Getting rid of standardized tests and increasing an emphasis on critical thinking!
Memorizing is not learning, we must learn concepts and learn to apply them to real life situtations. There is too much emphasis on rote memory and not enough on the learning process and the thinking process."
Nationwide movement on to get rid of these tests which are administered by for profit test companies who lobby politicians. Way too much modifications going on just so politicans have a #1 schools bragging platform.
I can't help but think about the "California Achievement Test" I took in the 1970's, in a American French grammar school. It was 2 days, but I remember clearly the teachers then being annoyed by the thought. At that time, we, the USA were the leading country in Education. Sure we had disabled students, but not every kids was labeled in fear they won't get the support that their parents wanted. I sadly and gratefully went to school all over the world, from grammar to high school,college and beyond. We were far behind in the 1990's and have sunken to a 3rd world state, imo of course.
We have strayed away so far from teaching out children that a lot of my colleagues (from other countries) send there kids to public school for socialization skills. I am not kidding. Most people that I know do not rely on our education system to teach. It is almost comical, most of my friends want to be in the most diverse school, why..for social reason. Sad, Sad day for our children.
Joe, this type of article makes me so incredibly sad. I didn't want to come back, but a cliche as it sounds, these kids are our future. God, only hope they learn the Constitution, before it disappeares too.
Oh, my husband wanted me to add, the ability to construct a decent paragraph, or even a sentence would be helpful as well.
Btw, we are in our late 30's.
Since the tests are basic functional tests with not one single question above grade level some kids get perfect or near perfect scores every year. It's hard to measure growth. The kid should be taking a test that allows him to do work beyond the grade he's in. Those tests show the real gap between students, and we don't give those tests anymore.
I know you right wing nuts want to blame the "commie leftists" for everything, but you need to remember that it was republicans who came up with the no child left behind plan which is the root of the very problems you are complaining about. Read about it, if you can.
This is what my child tell me almost every day. It is hard to learn, especially in middle school and high school. Most of her classes are filled with a bunch of rude students, there is no structure, most talk over the teacher and some students will not behave. Makes it hard for her to learn. It makes me angry this is what she goes to day in day out.
Why does this situation alway end up in the teacher's lap? What about lazy parents who don't bother with the education of their children. If a teacher's pay is going to be determined by how well the child performs then maybe the teacher should get to pick which children he or she wants to have in their class!
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