Flys right in the face of moronic democrats whose priority is to protect teachers unions........ One of the greatest tragedies of American society - public education where 20% of the entire population reads below a fifth grade level......
Michael Bloomberg may be a nut in general, but he's spot on with this one.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-10-28/demand-better-schools-not-fewer-tests
To improve education, parents and teachers need to know how well our students -- of all ethnic and racial backgrounds -- are learning. That’s especially true in communities where schools are the best hope for escaping poverty. Parents deserve to know how schools compare with one another so that they can demand improvements where they are needed and hold schools accountable for delivering results. The same is true for principals and elected officials, to say nothing of taxpayers. That’s why accurate information on student learning is so crucial -- and like it or not, high-quality testing is an essential element of that.
Until last weekend, the Obama administration had rightly emphasized the importance of using student-performance data to ensure accountability and drive school improvement. It has also supported governors and school superintendents who are raising the bar for student achievement, especially by creating and adopting Common Core standards that are tied to college and career readiness. Yet now that results from tests aligned to these standards are showing just how many students are not on track for college, the public backlash against the tests seems to have given Obama and Duncan a case of cold feet. That’s deeply regrettable.
U.S. students once led the world in college graduation, but no longer, and our public-school students are in the middle of the pack, at the precise moment when people around the world are becoming ever more educated. The National Assessment of Educational Progress -- also known as “the nation’s report card” -- has long made clear just how poorly American schools serve children. The latest report was released Wednesday, and it shows that in reading and math, only one-third of eighth-grade students are meeting the national standard.
Michael Bloomberg may be a nut in general, but he's spot on with this one.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-10-28/demand-better-schools-not-fewer-tests
To improve education, parents and teachers need to know how well our students -- of all ethnic and racial backgrounds -- are learning. That’s especially true in communities where schools are the best hope for escaping poverty. Parents deserve to know how schools compare with one another so that they can demand improvements where they are needed and hold schools accountable for delivering results. The same is true for principals and elected officials, to say nothing of taxpayers. That’s why accurate information on student learning is so crucial -- and like it or not, high-quality testing is an essential element of that.
Until last weekend, the Obama administration had rightly emphasized the importance of using student-performance data to ensure accountability and drive school improvement. It has also supported governors and school superintendents who are raising the bar for student achievement, especially by creating and adopting Common Core standards that are tied to college and career readiness. Yet now that results from tests aligned to these standards are showing just how many students are not on track for college, the public backlash against the tests seems to have given Obama and Duncan a case of cold feet. That’s deeply regrettable.
U.S. students once led the world in college graduation, but no longer, and our public-school students are in the middle of the pack, at the precise moment when people around the world are becoming ever more educated. The National Assessment of Educational Progress -- also known as “the nation’s report card” -- has long made clear just how poorly American schools serve children. The latest report was released Wednesday, and it shows that in reading and math, only one-third of eighth-grade students are meeting the national standard.
