that may be intentional… but I don’t think they are necessarily good enough at test making to get consistent results (or even specially tweaked results) year after year. But if the 2005 scores look to be out of whack, I agree we should be suspicious.

Jonathan

In “Beyond No Child Left Behind ” Thomas Sobol states the following: “Jefferson tells us and most of us know, our form of government and ways of life depend upon an educated citizenry. Preparing young people for effective participation in a democratic society is a fundamental purpose of our public schools.” Sobol continues, “Today we are experiencing an influx of “foreign” children, largely from Asia and Central America. How we handle these children – who will soon become a majority in large parts of our country – will determine what their lives will be, and what ours will be in turn. The stakes are high, so the questions abound: how can we best get these children to speak, read, and write English? Who goes to school, with whom? How should schools communicate with non-English-speaking parents? What kinds of tests should immigrant children be required to pass? How can we close the “achievement gap” between these children and those in the majority population? How can we make “Americans” of these children in their own lifetime, while respecting the cultural identity of their families?We need to raise and debate these questions now, or leave the outcomes to blind chance and happenstance. One way or another, our nation will be changed. ”

I believe academic excellence must be the goal for all students and educators. Our schools must not be allowed to become battlefields for minorities and other students. Education must be the sole priority. Hence, these standards must be set high, and all students must be held accountable. The reward for achieving academic excellence also must be clear. Furthermore, teachers must be treated as professionals, rewarded as professionals and held accountable to the standards of their profession. They must be allowed and, in fact, encouraged to be involved the decisions that affect their work and the academic performance of their students.

We need to do whatever we can to provide the resources all students need. Our goal should be to establish standards the will challenge all students to do their best, and that will help schools to stay focused on their primary mission… the education of our students. If the “preparation of our students for effective participation in a democratic society.” is the goal of public education, no child should be left behind. Nor should the “one-size fits all” test practice become the new mantra for NCLB.

Phyllis C. Murray
UFT Chapter Leader
District 8 Region 2

But collecting and analyzing meaningful data is far harder than creating their number-porridge. And good data might show how absolutely unreliable their assessments are.

Jonathan