Re: punishing last year's heroes?

["George N. Schmidt" <Csubstance@AOL.COM>]

In a message dated 8/19/01 12:24:20 PM, gbracey@EROLS.COM writes:

<< "Most of these [accountability systems] have been set up with very little
recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the measures that they're
based on."

 >>

8/20/01

To bang my drum again. (While five-week old Sammy sits here in the Substance
office and tries to make conversation through chirps, grunts, and
mumblings...).

How can anyone know anything about the "measure" if nobody is allowed to see
the tests themselves after they are used? All of the technical manuals in the
world only add to the Obfuscation Level of the entire enterprise.

Secrecy is central to the maintenance of the power of all tyrannical
priesthoods -- whether the Mayans (with the virgins) at the tops of their
pyramids, the 15th Century German priests mumbling to the peasants in Latin,
or the Testocrats telling everyone that "standards" have been established and
"accountability" now guaranteed --

-- but mere teachers, students, and parents are not allowed to read and
discuss the tests themselves after the kids have been forced to take them.

I'm glad that young Sammy likes it down here. I also think there are some
complex cognitive things going on as he watched this, and that there is no
way he's learning language in a manner that can be "assessed" by multiple
choice questions...

George Schmidt

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