The purpose of this blog is to provide the author, Jay Moreno, with an outlet to comment upon items of socio-political and socio-economic import in Camden County, Georgia and to generally satisfy a daily compulsion to write. HISTORIC WATERFRONT, ST. MARYS, GA.
In my humble opinion this is an example of why these test's will not work. Teachers and schools put way to much emphasis on having their students pass. The schools have to show improvement to receive additional federal funding. To much time is wasted teaching these tests and not enough time is spent on core curriculum. If these allegations are true. This is a direct result of a desperate school to show improvement.
ReplyDeleteRebel Dawg
You are right on target. From personal observation, I can tell you that teachers are forced to teach to the test. That is not to say that they know what is on the test (it changes every year and is literally guarded like the crown jewels)but they do have to stick to a whacked curriculum mandated buy the state. The test is desined to test exactly what is in the curriculum and nothing more.
ReplyDeleteIn one of the areas where I am awaiitng my state certifcation to be processed, Social Studies, there is an expression that the state-mandated curriculum is " a mile wide and an inch deep." That nails it. A system that was designed, in large part, to eventually weed out teachers who have no businees being teachers, is, in fact, making it virtualy impossible for the kind of teachers we need and want to exercise any initiative whatsoever to have a "value added" effect on education by virtue of their more extensive personal knowledge and abilities. The actual effect of the mandated curriculum and the CRCT is homogenized, system wide mediocrity.