A frustrated parent responds on a Common Core assignment. Looks like it's back to the old New Math.

[mike_c]

113. oh I completely agree with your broader comment about high stakes testing, etc....

I hate grades, testing, etc and do my best to avoid them in my own courses to the extent possible, although that's often a source of student anxiety too, if only because grades and tests are the feedback they've been trained to expect. But teaching to tests is awful, no argument there. I'm somewhat out of step with most of my colleagues in that I think content assessment is the least important indicator of educational success, and of course content assessment-- the lowest order on Bloom's taxonomy-- is the primary focus of that "high stakes testing," and is distressingly prevalent even in higher ed.

I'm not certain I agree with the notion that pushing challenging content down to earlier grade levels is damaging-- learning should be challenging and push one's boundaries IMO, and that's the standard I try to apply to my own classes. Challenging learning environments are sometimes uncomfortable for students, but I'm convinced nonetheless that challenge, and the potential for failing to meet that challenge, is important for personal and intellectual growth. I fear that the academic risk averse college students we too often see are the result of prior education that seeks to avoid the discomforts of intellectual challenge.

But I wholeheartedly agree with you about testing. It's worthless except for creating anxiety for all concerned.