In the book: Many children left behind, reading chapter 3, I understand the point of view that the authors are trying to make in this book, their claims are that standardize testing is not an efficient way in finding out how students are performing in school. Standardize testing should not be the government best choices of figuring out how and what areas in the educational curriculum student are not being proper taught. Standardize testing for eg don’t look at all aspect of student life: students with learning disabilities if undetected would pass these test and in cases like that should schools be penalized for that when the child need is not properly met. With the system of Standardize testing their are also cheating scandal that are arising because of standardize testing and the need for school to show that they are performing good. Teachers are being caught in order to prove their creditability. Also they look at students who have been performing good throughout the school year but fail when taking the test, does standardize testing look at how the student improves throughout the school year? The authors look at the state of Oregon and how they are cutting out programs such as music and foreign language and using that money on data collection and testing program.
Standardize testing seem to be crippling schools because teacher cannot teach the child properly. Teachers are now teaching to so that the student could pass the Standardize test. The authors touched on tests alone do very little to increase the capacity of schools to deliver better educational services. They can also provide a kind of counterfeit accountability that sorts and labels kids on the basis of multiple choice questions as a substitute for the much more difficult and more costly process of real school improvement. The authors say that the key to schools doing better is not in testing but it lies with students and teachers. I do agree with that because one should look at a student potential and their improvement and find resources to help the student to keep growing.
Chapter 4
In chapter 4 the section that interested me the most is “Rebuilding trust”. The authors talked about school and the local board needs to keep their eyes on its real constituents. The only way to give students the best education possible schools need to build students and parents trust. The road to building trust is not easy and everyone needs to be involved in the growth. Schools faculty members need to adequately come up with a way to build trust between parents and the school and also students and teachers. The authors state that micromanaging at point is unnecessary and school need to accept that asking explanation and tough criticism is not micromanaging. School boards will need to become more active and passive in order to build trust with the school.
Questions
Do you think that rebuilding trust in school is difficult task to be accomplished?
We have been talking about standardize testing in class for a while, doing believe that standardize test is just a negative impact to the educational system or is standardize testing a good start to finding out where students and schools are lack and need extra support?
