Excellent op/ed in this morning's News & Record by former teacher and local PTA president Sharon Shepard on the continued insanity of NCLB. Of particular interest is this quote:
Each year in American testing factories, modern pupils spend many weeks preparing for the End of Grade (EOG) examinations. Practice assessments are given under "testing conditions," in which children as young as 8 spend entire mornings quietly wiggling at their desks, ignoring repetitive instructions, and answering multiple-choice questions. Teachers and students are so exhausted by the anxiety and time involved that little is taught during testing weeks. EOG "pep rallies" remind one of a "groupthink" scene from George Orwell's "1984." And once the EOGs are over in May, many classrooms turn into movie theaters and day-care centers, as the teacher's work is considered done for the year. Standardized testing discourages comprehensive education.Isn't it time this thing gets overhauled or reformed?
E.C. :)
Posts
2 comments:
Not sure what book she copied this text from however how many students in GCS has she supported to save academically during her term on the PTA Council/Girls Club!
Thanks for the compliment, Anonymous! The essay was original. I've also worked as a reading/academic tutor, so the answer to your question is quite a few. -Sharon S.
Post a Comment