With fifth-grade test now revealed, New York's tougher new reading exams set students up to fail

[chervilant]

111. I cannot understand how

so many remain ignorant of the political agendas driving "standardized testing," and the absolute inefficacy of these 'measures' of how well we're 'teaching' our children!

My students (and most of my colleagues) abhor these tests. Students are taught how to take the tests, which involves a lot of rote memorization and very little critical thinking.

And, don't get me started about the cultural biases built into these crappy 'tests'!

I last taught at a community college, where I discovered that the vast majority of our incoming students lacked even the most fundamental math skills--a fact that flies in the face of all those standardized test results for our area high schools, proudly displaying their 'recognized' (or higher) statuses conferred because their students performed so well on their tests. As if!

Our system of education has been co-opted for decades now, intended to create factory fodder and service industry drones. It's past time to recognize this, and rescue our children from a lifetime of ignorance and servitude.