9486 in the collection
Teens' testing might be reduced
The outrage is that state ed department Standardistos want to keep all these tests. Does anyone really thing Algebra II or physics content would be different from one town to another?
Keep reading and you will see that the state has already eliminated beginning-of-the-year testing for third graders.
By Lynn Bonner
A little more sleep and a little less cramming may be in store for students next year if lawmakers decide to get rid of some standardized tests.
In her budget, Gov. Beverly Perdue proposed dumping tests not required for high school graduation or by federal law.
The Senate took up the theme, and gave detailed list of tests to eliminate. Five high school subject tests would go -- algebra II, geometry, chemistry, physics, and physical science -- along with a computer skills tests given in the eighth grade; so would tests for high school students who enter ninth grade without scores on previous tests that show they can read and do math at grade level.
The latest formal push for fewer standardized tests started with the 2007 recommendations from a state commission, which said too much time is spent on testing that does not ensure students will graduate with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in jobs or college.
The end-of-course math and science tests Perdue and the Senate suggest eliminating are given in classes not required for graduation. The state uses the tests to evaluate high schools.
State education officials are already talking about changing the way students are tested, but want to keep some of the science and math tests legislators talk about eliminating. After meeting with state education officials, House members wrote a draft budget that eliminated fewer tests than did Perdue or the Senate.
In an era when students will be competing with people around the world for jobs in science, technology and engineering, it makes sense to know how much students have learned about those subjects, said Angela Quick, deputy chief academic officer at the state Department of Public Instruction.
Under the Perdue and Senate proposals, the House measure says students would not take a state test in math or science after algebra I and biology.
The tests help standardize the statewide curriculum and make sure students are taught the same material no matter where they go to school, state education officials said.
"That's how we got the whole idea for standardized tests, so everyone is talking about the same thing," said Lou Fabrizio, director of accountability services for the state Department of Public Instruction.
Whatever the policies decide, standardized testing is already in minor retreat. In an effort to save money, the State Board of Education voted last month to eliminate tests in reading and math that would have been given next year to all third-graders in the first three weeks of school.
Earlier this year, Perdue mocked the amount of classroom time devoted to testing -- to great applause from a crowd of teachers. The N.C. Association of Educators supports the testing cuts she put in her budget, said Rodney Ellis, the association's vice president.
Not surprisingly, high school students standing outside Broughton High School in Raleigh on Tuesday liked the idea of eliminating some end-of-course tests.
The students were most familiar with the geometry test, which they said concentrated on information learned at the beginning of the course, details less likely to be fresh in their memories. Sometimes, they ran across questions on topics not taught in class.
Teachers should only use exams they wrote themselves, said Roxanna Garza, 15, a freshman. "Teachers know what they taught you," she said.
There's a balance between making sure students are learning what they're supposed to and having classes built around standardized tests, said Sen. Richard Stevens, a Cary Republican who helped craft the Senate spending proposal on education.
"We didn't say no testing," Stevens said. "We said fewer tests."
Many teachers talk about tests taking time away from instruction and the feeling that they have to teach to the tests, Stevens said.
It would be fine with David Holdzkom, Wake County's assistant superintendent for evaluation and research, if legislators decide to let the tests go.
Other tests, including the SATs and Advanced Placement exams, offer a good measure of student knowledge, he said. If Wake wanted specific information on how well the district was doing in a certain area, it could write its own test or buy one, he said.
"There are other ways to do it than relying on the state," he said. "Giving up these five tests would be something that people would find okay."
— Lynn Bonner
Charlotte Observer
2008-05-27
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/v-print/story/1543679.html
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
[1] 2 3 4 5 6 Next >> Last >>
