A small victory against standardized testing

[Joe Navarro <jlnhca@yahoo.com>]

Our school has discontinued standardized testing for first grade students. Hopefully we will get the second grade to stop next.  In the context of pressure to meet the state standards and becoming an improvement (PI) school our principal thought that we should introduce students to testing early. Also that we could use the data from testing first graders to improve what we teach them in second grade.
  Teachers from our leadership team convinced the principal that it was not useful and the data was not reliable. The principal is not generally a testing fanatic, but was feeling the pressure (like everyone else) to increase test scores.  The principal's general point of view is that we should teach mastery of subjects.
  Thanks to good preparation and convincing arguments we were able to end first grade testing. Last May I sent out a note asking for help with good arguments against testing, and George Sheridan replied and gave me some good arguing points.  Thank you, George.
  It is not a major setback to standardized high-stakes testing, but every victory counts.
  --Joe Navarro


________________________________________________ 
  Joe Navarro, Literary Vato Loco, creative writer, poet and teacher.
  Available for workshops and presentations.
  Please visit my new website and help me out by forwarding it. Updated regularly. http://www.geocities.com/poetajoe/Joe_Navarro.html

 		
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