Re: AYP debate

["Doug Selwyn" <dselwyn@antiochsea.edu>]

Diane,

That seems like a strong list to me.  There are certainly more arguments
that can be made:

that children don't move through life as do widgets, at a preset schedule,
arriving at a certain maturity and learning level at a scheduled moment

that children don't all communicate their learning with equal facility on
paper and pencil tests

that some children simply don't test well, or don't function so well under
that kind of pressure

that there are students taking the test in a second or third language, and
rather than being celebrated for their abilities are penalized for not
speaking, reading, and writing in English as well as some others

That there is no evidence that these tests actually have any validity or
reliability at all; there is no evidence that they accurately measure or
predict what they say they measure or predict

that the tests are pushing out students and teachers who believe that
education isn't about tests, and even some administrators are leaving for
that

that the tests offer no useful information for teachers and students about
how to be more effective in our work

that high stakes shuts down learning and teaching

and of course NCLB is shoveling massive amounts of public dollars into
private pockets

Well, I could go on but hopefully there is something useful in that list. 
Good luck, and thanks for standing up.

Doug Selwyn