When Parents Yank Their Kids Out of Standardized Tests

[Demo_Chris]

56. Nonsense...

Obviously educators must play a role in developing tests and curriculum, but the application of these tests must be handled independently, and in a way that makes teaching to the test impossible. As for what a test can tell us, the answer to that is that a test can tell us as much information as the test is designed to discover. Discovering whether or not students know what they are supposed to know is not even remotely difficult.

The public, the people who employ our educators, have a RIGHT to expect objectively measurable results. That's what they are paying for. They have a right and obligation to know how things are going at every step along the way. They need to know what's working and what is not, they need to know which teachers are getting the job done and which are not. And more, they need a mechanism that allows a direct comparison between their own school and the schools in other districts and states so that they can recognize where changes need to be made.

And so far, in this thread, no one has offered any DEFENSIBLE reason why this is such a terrible idea. The only excuses thus far offered have been candy floss, vanquished with a wave of the hand. That, and insults.