Letters: Measuring an education

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

Letters: Measuring an education
Learning beyond test-taking

Published Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Story appeared in Editorials section, Page B6
http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/14238675p-15059025c.html

Re "Test scores rise - at a cost," March 29: Schools should impart joy and 
the love of learning. But the current testing climate dims and numbs that 
sense of wonder because it pushes teachers to compress knowledge into a No. 
2 pencil and fill-in-the-bubble tests.

As a parent, I worry about the effects of high-stakes standardized tests on 
teaching and learning. I am even more deeply troubled by the view of test 
prep as legitimate educational work. It's wrong to surrender precious 
classroom time and money to help kids bubble in multiple-choice test 
answers. It is a crime to leave out art, science and social studies in the 
classroom.

I do not consider standardized testing to be a valid measure of students' 
abilities, and I object to the state imposing this stress on children. 
Government and corporations have raised the bar on educational standards, 
with no regard for what is developmentally appropriate.

In the process, the act of educating is giving way to a reckless method 
that more resembles job training.

- Amy Scherschligt, Carmichael

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The low standards missed

Re "48,000 students still out in the cold," March 29: What The Bee 
consistenly fails to mention about the exit exam is how low the standards 
have been set. Students need to score 55 percent on a test of sixth-and 
seventh-grade math and 60 percent on eighth-and ninth-grade English. They 
get seven chances to pass. They get enrolled in special classes to help 
them pass if they have previously failed.

The Bee's coverage points out achievement gaps between ethnic and income 
groups. But I would stress how easy it is to pass this exam. Are we really 
demanding so much of our students?

The educational establishment has weakened standards, trying to make them 
so low everyone achieves them. This is a disservice to our children.

Kids will live up to expectations that are set for them, high or low. This 
test should serve as a wake-up call for those still needing to pass. It 
will also send a message that there are consequences for being a slacker in 
school.

- Scott Nichols, Rescue

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Fixing school accountability

Re "In education, are we hitting the high standards ceiling?" commentary, 
March 29: Peter Schrag hits the mark in his description of the quandary 
schools face under the state and federal accountability systems. As he 
points out, "California's own school targets are keyed to achievement 
standards that would require 70 percent of students to be above average." 
While that may seem laughable, the harsh reality is that the No Child Left 
Behind Act punishes schools for failing to meet this statistically 
impossible standard.

As Congress looks toward reauthorization of No Child Left Behind next year, 
we need to stop pretending that a single number - Adequate Yearly Progress 
- can tell us everything we need to know about a school's performance, and 
then using that number to trigger a preselected intervention that may not 
even address the problem.

The flaws in NCLB are not unintended consequences of an otherwise sound 
system. They are the expected outcomes of a fundamentally flawed system. 
Those flaws need to be fixed.

- Scott P. Plotkin, West Sacramento
Executive Director, Calif. School Boards Assn

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Beyond college-prep education

Re "UC study sees 'huge barriers' to college," March 23: It is time 
California recognize that providing a college education to every high 
school graduate is neither desirable nor necessary. As Dan Walters has 
often pointed out, high quality vocational education could provide students 
with the skills to enter rewarding jobs in some of the most in-demand 
fields of the economy.

Judging by the number of students who enter the college and university 
systems who still require remedial courses well below the "college prep" 
level, all students would be better served by providing high school courses 
in rudimentary life skills, so that they can cope in whatever field they 
choose.

- Don Rudisill, Sacramento

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A rewarding career - in Korea

My son is an AP history teacher in a Sacramento area public school 
district. He has taught four years and is fully credentialed. He also held 
the position as a wrestling coach over and above his primary position.

My son has always had a can-do attitude, even with the overcrowded school 
conditions. He was very resourceful, utilized all his teaching materials 
and moved between four classrooms a day.

Our son has accepted a teaching position in South Korea. He has made this 
decision based on incentives that aren't offered in the school district 
where he currently works or in any other districts he's inquired about.

I'm totally amazed at the indifference that he has experienced and that 
only leaving the United States will bring him up to decent standard of 
living. What is wrong with this picture?

- Kenneth Clark, Placerville

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George Sheridan